A Method To the Madness
by welcometofightclub
Summary: "I know that you seem to do things at random." The doctor asked her. "But what I want to know is...is there a method to this madness." after ten years of threapy, it seemed it was doing no good. Azula has a week to get better...or else.
1. a method

**It's been a while since I posted anything for Avatar: The last Airbender. And since the spinoff has been announced, I thought I should give it a try. I was inspired by a YouTube series called "The Joker Blogs," and most of the dialogue has been taken from it as well. Seriously, go check it out. This guy is an amazing actor and puts a whole new spin on Heath Ledger's Joker. **

**Ten reviews equals the next chapter. Please? I'll give you a cookie? Lol.**

**Anyways, here it is.**

* * *

A Method to the Madness

The fire lord slammed his fist on the table; teeth clenched in anger, and eyes blazing in fury. He couldn't believe that these officials were even thinking about doing this awful deed. The initial fist slam startled most of the guest around the table; including Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee, who were all use to Zuko's mini bouts of temper. "No!" he screamed. "I won't do it. If I perform this act or even allow this act to be preformed, I would be no better than my father!"

The officials of the Republic City Mental Care Facility looked at Zuko with Puppy dog eyes; almost pleading for the fire lord to bring this wish to life. Mailto, a tall man with blonde hair rose from the back. Mailto was the doctor assigned to Azula's case when the war ended. Zuko appointed him because people thought Mailto would be the right man for the job. He had a history of bringing back people who were so insane that they almost were animals. And when Mailto was first assign to Azula, he thought that he could pull it off. The fame and recognition would be tremendous. Now….

"But Sir," Mailto pleaded. "I have preformed therapy sessions on this woman several times, and still, she hasn't improved since she was first admitted here 10 years ago, when the war just ended. I'm sorry to say sir, but it seems like Azula is going to stay like this."

"I pay you hundreds of dollars in gold coins that I can be using to benefit the people, and I use it so you can find treatment for my sister. And yet here we are, 10 years later after I appointed you as my sister's doctor and therapist, and you have done nothing." Zuko proclaimed with anger. His eyes blazed with the power of a million suns.

"I have done all that I possible could!" Mailto exclaimed. "I've tried sir, I really have. But I think your sister is really gone."

"Face it sir," and official chimed in from the back. "Azula is too much of a risk to have here as she lashes out on everyone; from doctors to guest and even some of the patients. We had an incident last week, where we took away her make up to see if she would be emotionally attached to it. We wanted to know if she was a hoarder. Anyways, when we took away her lip stick, she got furious and bit off one of our nurses fingers. Let's just say she found a deeper shade of red for her lips."

"I'm still not doing it!" Zuko proclaimed. He shook his head as if he were trying to wake up from a bad dream. "No matter how horrible she gets, and not matter how far way she drifts from reality, I am not, nor will I ever even THINK, ABOUT EXECUTING MY SIBLING!"

"But sir," another official chimed in. "Executing her would end her pain and all of our pain as well. In fact last week, she begged us to kill her." Out of nowhere, Sokka, who was currently seated a few chairs to the right of Zuko, began his statement.

"I think I have to agree with them on this one," Sokka stated.

Zuko turned his head to the right, and stared at Sokka with blaring eyes of hatred towards his comment. Katara gave Sokka a warning punch to the arm. Sokka groan a little in pain, and then continued with his comment.

"I'm just saying," Sokka stated. "If she begged for it, then why are we even here? She said she wanted to be dead right? I know it sounds heartless but to me it seems to make the most sense. If she wants it, give it."

"She's not of a sound mind right now!" Katara complained. Even thought Katara had faced the evil Fire lady in the past, she still had a bleeding heart for all living things. She was very helpful to those who needed it. And even though Azula was an enemy to the gang, if anyone needed the most help, it was her. "I don't think she even knows who she is at the moment."

"The last time I saw her, she didn't even want to say her name." Zuko stated to Sokka. "She's so bad that I don't think that execution would do any of us any good."

"Well what do you propose Sparky?" Toph replied seated at the far right.

Zuko turned to her and look at her for three seconds, thinking about what she said. He disliked the nickname he was given several years ago, but after a while, Zuko had gotten use to it. After thinking about Toph's statement, he turned to face the mental advisors, and took a deep breath in. Upon exhale; he came to his conclusion, and spewed it out in front of the doctors and his friends.

"Banishment." Zuko said.

"It won't work." Suki commented. "Even if we did put her on an island, if she's mad enough, she'll find a way off the island and kill us all."

"But it's better than taking her life!" Mai commented as she placed a hand on her husband's shoulders. "My husband is only doing what's best for his sister, and my ex-best friend."

"But we don't know what's best for her!" Mailto proclaimed. "It's not like we can walk up to her and ask her, 'hey, do you either want to be killed, or banished.'"

Zuko leaned back in his chair. A strange silence filled the room. So far, the doctors, and Zuko's friends were right. If he did kill her, it would end the suffering of everyone that had been affected by Azula. However, if he did kill her, it would give rebels the opportunity to score. For the past three years, high level leaders such as Aang and Zuko were constantly warned of a national rebel conspiracy. Some major illegal activity was brewing up in the earth kingdom. And in the newly built republic city, some people have even noticed riots. If the conspiracy of retaliation against the fire nation and water nation was true, than the rebel's could use Azula's execution as ammunition to fuel their hatred and bring in more civilians to their cause.

However, noting how bad Azula's mental state had been for the past ten years, leaving her alive was basically like leaving a horse with a broken leg. She needed to be put out of her misery. And if they left her like this, her torture would continue. And as each passing day went on, watching his sister suffer like this was torture to him as well.

So what was it going to be? Were they going to leave Azula like she was, or kill her and cause a rebel uprising? And how were they going to choose this descision?

That was when inspiration struck The Avatar, who was sitting by Zuko's left hand. Aang perked his head up when he realized his idea, and then he spewed it forth into the audience.

"Maybe you can." Aang suggested.

The officials looked at Aang as if he should have been one of the patients at Republic City Asylum. "Excuse me?" Mailto inquired.

"Maybe you can ask her." Aang stated. Then he held up his hands to calm down the frantic doctors. "I'm not saying that we should find her padded cell and ask her directly, I'm saying we should test her. Probation." Aang stated.

"I don't get it?" Toph asked. "So we're going to like run test on her or something?"

"We'll give her a week," Aang began. At this point, he started walking around the room, noting how this idea was growing as he talked about. "During this week, Zuko and I will watch her as she is interviewed and questioned. After the end of the 7 days watching Azula's mental health either deteriorate or rejuvenate, Zuko, the rest of the gang, and I will come to the conclusion that will benefit us all."

Most of the officials stood shocked. They couldn't believe that they hadn't have thought of it before. It was so simple. The fact that it hadn't occurred to them first left most of them bewildered and angry. It left  
Zuko however, smiling at his friend of 10 years.

"I really like that Idea." Zuko proclaimed with a grin.

"Who will be in charge of Azula's therapy?" an official asked.

"Who else but Mailto," Zuko proclaimed as he stood up. "He's been working with my sister the most, so he should probably know how to handle her in front of an audience." Then he leaned into the table, his face now turning into a serious stare. "Be that as it may," He began. "Mailto, you got a week, seven days to cure my sister. After that, there is no more use for you here. If you can't fix my sister in a week….your fired." And with that, Zuko, Aang, and the rest of the gang got up from their chair and walked away; leaving Mailto with his jaw to the floor.

* * *

*the next day*

When the day of Azula's first therapy session in front of Aang and Zuko began, both The Avatar and The Fire Lord felt as if they were in a fog. Realizing that Republic City was a good distance away, the two had to wake up early in the morning, kiss their wives goodbye for the day, and then get on Appa in the early morning; when the sun wasn't shining and the earth seemed to be clenched in mildew and fog. So the two felt very sleepy when they sat themselves in the observation booth along with three other officials who were present.

Then Azula walked in.

She was radically different. Her hair, while placed up in its original style that she use to wore when the war was going on, was cut into almost ribbons. A strange green covered some locks of her hair. her body walked with a an electric surge, almost as if she reacted to everything in the air; from dust to static. But what gave Aang and Zuko the chills was her face. The evil smile was present, but it was accompany by a scare that ran down her left eye to her lip.

Zuko firmly remembered how she got her scares. No one was certain, but the belief was that she was thrashing around in her bed one night, and in her frantic state of panic, she somehow cut herself.

As she was lead into the therapy room below the observation room by two guards on either side, Mailto aligned the papers on his desk. This was it. Therapy begins…..now.

"Gentlemen," Mailto stated to the two guards. "Thank her for bringing her in. But I believe your presents won't be required today. If worse comes, you'll know what to do."

Azula looked at both of the guards with a strange look on her face. It was a mixture of both sadness and innocents. However, as soon as the two guards left the room, her face became dark once more. She stood at the end of the door, just right behind Mailto, giving him the stare that placed a fear and chill in both Aang and Zuko's heart.

"Please, take a seat." Mailto suggested with a waving hand, gesturing Azula to the seat in front of him.

She took a deep breath; almost like a growl. Then she walked very slowly to her seat. When she sat down, her whole body slammed onto the seat. Her face squinted for almost a millisecond in pain. And afterwards, she started leaning back in forth, as if she was trying to find the right position in the chair.

"Um…are you comfortable." Mailto asked.

She looked up at her doctor of ten years with the blazing yellow eyes of anger and death. She opened her mouth, and very slowly, she spoke her first words of the conversation.

"…no." she replied with a sigh.

_Typical. _Mailto thought. _Always trying to disagree with me. _"Is there anything we can do to make you feel more comfortable?"

"You can start by getting me the hell out of here," Azula stated low, while twitching her eyes and licking her lips.

The way she said her words sent a shock wave of chill and fear through the observation room. Aang could feel the hair standing on the back of his neck. It was filled with death and mayhem. Depression seemed to be the least of her emotions portrayed in her voice. It was more of an anger; a rage, if you will. And it seemed to be boiling inside her. Mailto shook her comment off and began with the therapy.

"I'm here with Patient 4479; AKA, Azula. The prisoner seems to suffer from schizophrenia, manic depression, illusions of granger, and possibly an antisocial personality disorder."

It was at this point, that Azula convulsed violently in her chair. It was a very small convulsion that lasted only a millisecond. But the fact that she shook so ruff and brought her hands to her head meant that whatever Mailto said, it pissed her off. Aang and Zuko involuntarily leaned back in their chairs, as their brains screamed at them to get out.

"You know," Azula began, voice blaring with anger. "You make it sound _so simple!..._But it never really is. Or to me at least." Then her voice got into an innocent tone. "And why use a term like prisoner? It has all of these negative connotations, as if someone is trying to keep me here." Her face then turned into that scary smile again. "I don't want to leave. I like it here. I got a roof over my head, free food…." She turned her head slowly to the observation room, which was protected by two way mirrors. She couldn't see Aang or Zuko, but somehow, it seemed that she was staring right at them when she was looking at the window. As if she was staring into their souls. "Lovely company," She stated. Then she turned her head back towards Mailto. "And I don't have to pay a cent for it."

"We're getting off track." Mailto stated as he sighed.

"There's a tack?" Azula asked innocently.

"The first step in your rehabilitation, to which for some reason we are still on, is to understand, and to come to terms with the reason that you are here."

She grew that evil smile once more, and the scars only made it more fearful. "Define you terms." She recited with a dark happiness. "That's the first step in any debate."

"Well this isn't a debate," Mailto replied. "This is therapy."

"What's the difference?" Azula inquired as her face became a frown once more. "Look," She began almost angry, shaking as she spoke. "Whoever is watching me in the observation booth, I think you should worry about their mental health a lot more than mine. I have a way with getting to people. And the only reason that they are present is for them to further study me as I express my inner turmoil; to which I have none."

Mailto cocked a brow. "You don't think you have some _real _problems?"

"Well, no one's perfect." She stated with puppy dog eyes.

"But I'm not asking you to become perfect." Mailto replied.

"Oh, I see." Azula growled. "You only want me to be different from who I really am."

"….well, what you are is what got you here."

"See!" She proclaimed. " I seem to like it here, and now because of who I truly am, I am here. So It must be destiny." Then Azula turned her head to the observation mirror. "See, it's never a mistake to be who you truly are. Don't. Let. Anyone. _Tell. You. Different!"_

Aang had the sudden urge to flee the room in fear. However, his body was able to stay present.

"And why do you think you're here?" Mailto asked Azula; the same way he asked for the past 10 years.

And she always replied with the same answer.

"Well I'm a prisoner of war," She proclaimed innocently as if she really were. "I got snagged behind enemy lines, and they had to take me out of the battle….It's only temporary though. It's a P.O.W's duty to break free."

Mailto groaned as he leaned back in his chair. Some of the officials in the observation booth sighed as the shook their heads. She had been saying the same exact excuse for the past 10 years. Finally, Mailto had enough of the same bullshit and asked her the question that was on everyone's mind.

"We want something different." He replied angrily. "We have been progressing like this for the same exact way the last 10 years, and it has gotten us nowhere."

"Sorry sugar," Azula stated as she hung her head low.

Mailto furrowed his brows. "I believe you meant to say doctor Mailto."

"Yes sir," She replied angry.

"Let me be who I am for a second." Mailto began. "As your psychiatrist, it is my job to treat you."

Azula convulsed again in her chair. "Y_our job?" _she asked strongly. "Is that what you are going to use to define _us?_"

"Well you wanted to define terms." Mailto stated.

"I'm a very complicated woman Mailto." Azula replied. "I mean, most girls are complicated in the first place, but I'm the most frustrating out of the bunch."

"Yes you are." Zuko stated under his breath as he watched his sister's madness unfold. He hung his head low in defeat. For years, she stayed like this. It looked like nothing was going to change.

"You seem to be a challenge to study." Mailto proclaimed.

"Study?" Azula inquired.

"Yes." Mailto replied.

Azula leaned back in her chair, and rested her hands on the back of her head. She breathed in deeply as though she were frustrated. "I'm no creature of habit." She stated. "I'm like an bird chasing after a coin shining in the sun. I just do things."

"I understand that." Mailto proclaimed. "and I understand you do things at random. But what I want to know is…..you know…..is there a method to the madness?"

Azula cocked her brow, as if she were confused. She seemed to didn't understand the statement at first. Suddenly, she grew a creepy smile, and began to lean in closer to Mailto. Her face was dark, though trying to act happy. She was defiantly a psychotic.

"You know what," Azula began. "I like you. We've been doing this for years and I've been having lots of fun. I think were destined to do this forever."

Zuko breathed out. He was ashamed at himself for thinking so foolishly. To think that Azula was going to be different after all these years was folly and a pipe dream. He leaned his head down to his hands.

Aang tapped Zuko on the shoulder. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"My sister seems to be in a depressing funk." He replied. "I don't think we're going to see anything new if she is like this."

"We can switch her medication and give her some Beet Flowers." An official stated. "I heard that the herbs in the flower bring out more happiness."

"Fine," Zuko replied. "Do that. We'll be here tomorrow." And with that, Zuko and Aang got up out of their chairs.

But just before they left, Azula said something that stayed on their minds forever.

"Do you want to know why I'm really here?" She asked Mailto.

Zuko and Aang immedialy stopped; interested in what she had to say.

"Yes," Mailto stated. Though, he thought to himself _yes! Finally! _

"Are you sure?" She began as she got up out of her chair.

"I am positive." Mailto replied.

Azula calmly walked over to the mirror, to which the observers sat behind. She placed her palms on it. She looked like an animal as her hot breath created steam on the glass. She gave everyone the shakes as her hands started to slide off the mirror; in an almost deadly manner. And when she spoke, her voice was dark.

"I'm here," She began. Then her face turned black with anger and hatred. "I'm here….._cause I want to be here."_

* * *

**Yep, here's another Avatar Fic. Please send in your reviews. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames please. I'm really trying to make Azual her own character, while mixing her with the Joker. Are there any Joker lines that you would like to say, and how do you like Azula so far. Please state this in the review section.**

**Remember. 10= work on the next chapter. I'll try to get back to you sooner. School, basketball, and my other fan fics may get in the way. But I promise to get another chapter put up this month.**

**Thank you for reading. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	2. a real dead body

**Here's chapter 2. Sorry for the long wait. I have lots of basketball practice and other fan fics to attend to. So my story wasn't on the front page long enough for people to review. **

**However, I thank the three people that took their time to review my story, and I hope they spread the word about this through fan fiction community.**

**PLEASE REVIEW AS WELL!**

On the second day of the week, Zuko and Aang realized that they didn't have to get up so early. The doctors wanted to make sure that the Beet flowers took their time to spread through Azula's system, thus, making her more active when both the Avatar and The Fire lord arrived.

So when Aang and Zuko got up that day, and realized it wasn't time to go, for the first time in a long time, they had free time to spare. So both of them got back in bed with their wife's, and when it was later in the morning, they finally had breakfast together with the gang just like they did in the old days. Afterwards, Zuko and Aang challenged each other to a sparring match (which Aang triumphed at) and later in the afternoon, they were finally given a message from a servant that their presence was needed at the Republic City Asylum.

Round 2 of therapy begins. _Ding._

Due to a strange an incredible set of events, Mai decided to tag along. While Zuko didn't want to put his wife in danger, Mai insisted that it had been a long time since she last saw Azula, and that she was in need of something to do that afternoon.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't realized how long the therapy process actually took to begin.

She sat on the chair that was provided for her, twiddling her thumbs.

"This is taking way to long," Mai breathed.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to tag along." Zuko replied nonchalantly.

It was around another 30 minutes or so before Azula arrived at the therapy room. Mailto was sitting at the other end of the table, facing the front, waiting for her. Then the two guards like last time, pushed Azula through the door, awaited Mailto's approval for them to leave, and then walked away, leaving the two in habitants of the room being only Mailto and Azula.

And when the doctors said that Beet Flowers would make her happier than usual; that was an understatement.

Her smile was about as large as the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. her faced looked like it was pulled apart by two sticks against her will. Her smile stretched out to enormous proportions. And that smile gave everyone the creeps; including Mai, who reacted with a giant gasp when she saw how her ex-friend was miraculously different from long ago.

Zuko's hand reached out and brushed Mai's; giving the Fire Lady a sudden calmness that overwhelmed her.

"It's okay," Zuko whispered in her ear.

"I know," she replied. "I'm sorry, it's just Azula is so…"

"Different?" Zuko inquired; fully knowing that was what she meant. He leaned back in his chair and sighed annoyed. "You haven't seen anything yet." He stated giving her a fair warning.

After a good second of looking kind of shocked and angered, Mai finally sat down in her chair, finding her comfort zone, and returned to her old Monotone self.

Azula sat herself down in the seat in front of Mailto, much to his liking. For the first time in years, he didn't have to ask her to sit. He stood up in the room and addressed the audience who was sitting behind the observation mirror.

"Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen," Mailto ever so politely began. "Our patient here; Azula, has agreed to continue with these public therapy sessions. As of last night, we have switch her normal medication from roasted animal glands to a concoction of weeds and Beet Flowers."

Azula turned her head towards the audience. She smiled ever so brightly and creepily to Zuko. When she spoke, her voice was laced with humor and despair. Her insanity was obviously valid, if not totally realistic at this point. Her face seemed happy, but on the inside, Zuko, Mai, and Aang could tell she was suffering.

"Hey Zuzu," Azula replied ever so pleasantly, blissful, and disturbing. "You know what the funny thing is? If I would have known it had been this easy to get free drugs, I would have done this _a lot _sooner."

She slowly turned back to face Mailto; her creepy smile apathetically fading. The smile was replaced with a face of curiosity as she stared at Mailto while he jotted down notes. It was as if she was interested into what Mailto was writing about her. Mailto finished the notes and placed the clipboard on the table. He looked up at Azula, and stopped dead in his tracks. Her eyes were hungry. It gave Mailto the shakes. He was fearful of what Azula might do to him. He had no clue what was on her mind at this time, and as her therapist, he decided to ask.

"What?" he asked somewhat annoyed and confused.

"Did I ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?" Azula said with dry passion. "It's just, they are beautiful by themselves, but the real beauty is that they go well with the rest of your face. I mean, it's not like I want to _pop_ them out of your skull and carry them around with me."

A eerie silence flooded the room. The place was filled with tension, fear, and a masterful sense of dread. Mai turned her head to Zuko, giving him a look of confusion. He replied with only the word "Yeah," Basically telling Mai that his sister had been acting like this for the past ten years.

After a good long ten seconds of silence, Azula broke it.

"It's a compliment." She clarified to Mailto.

"…and we're off to a bad start." Mailto said.

"Well you of all people know I'm not an afternoon person," Azula replied as she placed her hands behind her head, stretched out on her chair and relaxed. Mailto grabbed his notes and placed another tiny sentence down upon them. He placed the notes back on to the table, and gave Azula a look of confidence and authority; as if he was now in charge.

"Well, we're finally here," He stated happily. "For the first time in ten years, we have finally made progress. This was the second main question I wanted to ask for a long time but we have never gotten around to saying it. Now, due to our last visit, I can finally ask the question….."

"…Which is?" Azula stated with a cork in her brow.

"You've been here for almost ten years. How's life been treating you at Republic City Asylum?"

Azula got a distain look in her eyes; as if she were sadden by this comment. She looked up in the air as she searched around in her head for answer. "Well…it's good." She replied shaking her head yes. "I really enjoy it. But, it's missing that one thing to make it feel like home, you know."

"Well what do you usually do here?" Mailto asked.

She popped her neck before she began her response to the question. She twitched her eyes about as she ran through the itinerary of what she had been doing these past ten years at this mental care facility. She seemed like, that in her mind, she was remote and far away from everyone else. Unbeknownst to the audience that was watching, this happened to be her thinking face.

"Mondays, I work out." Azula began. "And then Tuesdays, I work on the arts. I'm actually quiet heavily invested in them, as a matter of fact. And I've written many poems."

Mailto's eyes widen. He was not expecting this from Azula. Many of the people, epically Mailto and Zuko, had no clue that she did this. They never knew that she was even somewhat interested in the arts. When Zuko was young, he use to perform plays in front of his mother, but Azula never seemed interested one bit. Now, she said that she was not just taking part of, but that she was _heavily _invested in the arts? It was a shocker to everyone there.

"You write poems?" Mailto asked confused. "May we see them?"

"I'm sorry," Azula replied. "It's very personal." Then she leaned back in her chair as she got that distant look in her eyes. "Now where was I? Oh yes, Wednesdays. Nothing much happens then. It's usually my free day. Thursdays, I hang out with my friend Carmine who is two cells down from me. He was transferred here about 8 years ago. We talk about politics, the weather, and moral degradation of society…well, _I _talk about those things. He usually just shouts out random obscenities. I think he might have some serious issues."

This one comment cause Mai to smirk and almost burst out laughing. Even Mailto had to control himself from releasing a chuckle.

"And you don't think _you _have some serious issues?" Mailto smugly replied.

"Well no one's perfect dear," Azula stated with a smile as she crossed her arms. Then, she got that distant look in her eyes once more. "And then there's Fridays." And after stating that sentence, she stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I _hate _Fridays." She replied as a little kid would when he was told to do a chore around the house.

"Why's that?" Mailto asked somewhat interested.

"That's when Sokka, that little weasel, bothers me."

Aang and Zuko looked at each other, since they both knew what Azula meant. They had a strange look in their eyes. It was almost a look of questioning. But both of them were thinking the exact same thing, and the other got the message. _Was it wrong to appoint Sokka as the Defensive Attorney over the Fire Lord and The Avatar? _

"Well Sokka is in charge of the prosecution against you." Mailto told Azula. "He's trying to get you sent to a main prison of the nation, such as The Boiling Rock, to keep a closer eye on you. He thinks your faking insanity."

"It's too bad my dad isn't around." Azula commented. "He knew where I was coming from."

Zuko thought back and firmly remembered the date of their father's death. About 1 year after the war, Zuko finally received the information from his father about the whereabouts of his mother. Zuko packed up on Appa, and with the gang's permission, went on a personal quest to find his mom and left the Fire nation under the care of his personal advisors. While Zuko was away, a riot broke out in the boiling rock, where his dad was transferred to under personal orders. During this riot, three prisoners found Ozia in his cell, and proceeded to kick him and torture him until finally killing him via fire ball to the face.

Zuko found out while he was away that the information he received on the whereabouts of his mother were proven false, and since his father was killed in the riot, he realized that the whole plan of finding his mom had to be put on hold. Sure, he was saddened, but there were more important matters on his hands. Besides, he knew that someday he'd find his mom.

"Well that's convenient for you," Mailto replied sarcastically.

"Lucky me," Azula retorted with a smile.

"Then explain to me where you're coming from." Mailto commanded. "Are _you _faking insanity?"

"No I'm not." Azula quietly barked. Her faced looked scourged and scrunched in pain. She looked as if the question that Mailto asked pissed her off. She repeated her answer again; this time exaggerating each syllable. "_No, I'm, not!"_

Some of the advisors, and Mai, were a bit shaken by Azula's comment. Zuko, Aang, and Mailto however, remained firm.

"So you think you're crazy." Mailto inquired.

"Now that's an interesting question." Azula replied, as her chest puffed out; feeling a bit self righteous and snobby. "You see, _crazy people don't think they're crazy. _In fact, they think their getting _saner. _So really, sane people shouldn't think that they're sane, but that they're actually going a little crazy." Azula left this comment in the air, for people to make their judgments about. Ironically, Mailto began to rub his jaw, as if he were actually taking in to account the things Azula just proclaimed. After a couple of seconds of silence, Azula began to grow a nervous twitch.

"I-i-I can't go to the boiling rock." Azula nervously stuttered. "I wouldn't last a day."

"You can't go to prison, because half of the people that are there now followed you to their cells and would have you to blame for their misfortune?" Mailto questioned. "And some of the people their also killed Ozia?"

"Actually, I was thinking more about personal safety." Azula replied. "Well, with my delicate features, my feather hair, and the fact that I'll be one of the few people in that prison with a vagina. But you know what, good call Mailto. I never thought about that."

Some of the advisors had to hold back a giggle.

"So you do care about personal safety," Mailto insisted.

"Nope," Azula replied. Then she began her tirade. "You see, there's a difference between personal safety, and the fear of dropping your soap in the shower and getting caught in a game of 'grab ass.' You think that they're going to invent a case just for me to avoid _that?"_

"Well, your mental evaluation is going to decide that." Mailto replied. "That's why we're having these sessions.

"What are my prizes if I win," Azula said with a smile.

"Well, you are either going to get executed, go to prison, get banished, or remain here." Mailto listed off.

"Oh. Cool prizes." Azula laughed as she rubbed her hands together. A strange silence filled the atmosphere. Then, Azula leaned back in her chair and broke the silence. "Well, you're the professional here. What do you think?"

"Well, I don't think a sane person would set fire to a fortune." Mailto commented.

Aang firmly remembered this as well. While Zuko was gone on his personal quest to find his mom, the gang discovered that Azula escaped. They found out that she got out of the Republic city hospital by aid of a couple of mercenaries who wanted nothing more than The Avatar's head, or cash. Azula and the mercenaries cause a bit of panic and pulled off many heist. They received an amazing amount of wealth from knocking over business places and tea shops. All the while, they were getting closer to killing Aang. On the day they collected their reward in cash, the gang busted in to the hide out to find 4 mercenaries and their leader bounded in cloth and a giant pile of money on fire, with a crazy Azula laughing her head off.

"Now, the thing about that whole situation was, I was only going to burn my half." Azula declared to Mailto. "But you see, my half was on the bottom…..I don't think I thought that one through enough."

"But Sokka firmly declares that you are no different from criminals the gang had to face in the past and are dealing with now." Mailto statted.

Azula then got a strange look in her eyes. It was the look that seemed like she was mad, but at the same time, it looked as if though she was interested. She was shocked really. Her eyes squinted half mass, and she spoke in a questioning manner. Her voice was filled with shock and awe.

"_No different?" _she asked. "No different, you say."

"Well, you stole money."Mailto replied.

"I burned it." Azual retorted.

"You lied."

"Only little white lies dear."

"I'm sorry."

"I meant, I only told little white lies, doctor Mailto."

"You destroyed property."

"I don't think we really need ancient air nomad temples."

"…..Well what about murder?" Mailto asked curiously.

Azula then flashed a creepy smile. It was a smile that sent a shockwave of chills and suspension across the room. Mai even went frigid for a second, as she herself was a bit taken back by Azula's strange sense of confidence. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her hands behind her head. She popped her fingers and her neck. She had a strange sense of certainty and aplomb about her movements. It was as if she was prepared to answer this question since birth. Then she spoke.

"When bad guys kill," Azula stated. "They either do it to gain a profit, or it's because there petty little emotions got involved. So when bad guys kill, it's either strictly business, or it's entirely personal. When _I _kill, I do it because it's fun. I kill, cause I find that it amuses me."

"Which leads me to believe that you don't care what the outcome of your actions is," Mailto replied. "As long as it amuses you."

Then, Azula said it. It was seven words that changed the atmosphere of the room; from interested, to fearful.

"Have you ever seen a dead body?"

Mailto's eyes widen in fear. Aang, Zuko, and Mai tensed up in their chairs. The whole place now reeked of dread and morbid fear. Azula just sat at the other end of the table, staring at the confused and scared Mailto. And Azula looked as if though what she just said was nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's a simple question." Azula replied seriously. "I've seen my share."

Mailto tried to reply. However, he found that the fear cause him to stumble a bit at his first words.

"….o-of course I've seen a dead body." He replied.

"Now, I'm not talking about the bodies that you see at funerals." Azula explained. "I mean, that's where they all end up. I'm talking about the type of dead bodies, where that little spark of life just _disappeared, _only a second ago. And all that's left is an eminent object, covered in its own blood and guts." She paused as she savored the look of fear on Mailto's face. "Now, have you seen any of those dead bodies?"

"…..no." Mailto fearfully replied.

Azula at this point, found that creepy smile that she had at the beginning of this certain therapy session, and flashed it to all corners of the room. Zuko, Aang, and Mai, involuntarily flinched as Azula looked pass them. She reached down onto the table, and picked up the bud of a beet flower that was given to her at the start of the therapy session. She fumbled around with the bud in her fingers.

"Well," Azula proclaimed with a smile. "Stick around with me long enough and you may just get your chance at seeing a _real _dead body." And with that, she popped the bud into her mouth. And then she proceeded to laugh.

* * *

The air around them was cool and relaxing as Appa made his descent into the fire nation palace; where Aang was staying at for the time of Azula's final week of treatment. As Aang controlled Appa steadily, he landed the group of three quietly in the almost pitch black darkness of the palace's courtyard. Aang made sure that he and Appa didn't make a noise; not a peep.

When Appa finally landed, the first one off the giant air bison was Mai. She landed in the courtyard with ease. Then she looked off west. Aang quietly used his air bending to gently levitate to the ground, and then he was off to meet his wife. Zuko did the exact same thing, and gently placed a hand on Mai's shoulder as she looked off into the sky.

Mai looked…strange. It wasn't a look of confusion or deep thought, but of that strange realm in between. She was tuning out as she got lost inside her train of thought. Even when Zuko placed his hand on her shoulder, she still kept on spacing out. Then Zuko leaned into her and kissed her right cheek; sweet and syrupy. And when he whispered into her ear, she was brought back to reality.

"Mai…"He asked affectionately. "What's wrong?"

She placed her left hand on his hand, calmly. "…..Nothing really," She breathed out. "It's just…Azula, you know. She's getting worse."

Zuko groaned in remembrance of the hours prior to this moment. He remembered how his sister acted to day, and he could confidently proclaim that this was by far not one of her lesser days. However; noting that Mai had never seen his sister after her admittance to the Mental care world, he could understand how it would seem like this would be Azula's worst days to Mai.

"I know." Zuko statted as he kissed her neck. He leaned in closer to her and gripped her in a hug. "She's been getting worse ever since the end of the war." He declared. "It's really been downhill from then."

"She didn't even act like the Azula I knew." Mai exclaimed. "I mean; sure there were hints of deception in her voice, and she did have some of those sarcastic comments, but she was completely insane."

"Yeah," Zuko replied. "I mean the thing about dead bodies. Normal people don't find amusement in death."

That's when she did something out of the ordinary. She lifted Zuko's hand off her shoulder, and spun him around to face her. What caught Zuko's attention were her eyes. They had this strange look of curiosity and sadness. And she _never, _got sad about anything. She was always monotone; even in times of distress. But Zuko had seen this look before, and it was the look of _we need to talk. _Zuko already started scolding himself and coming up with excuses in his head. What did he do now?

"Zuko," she asked caringly as she stared into his eyes. "Do you promise not to get mad about what I say next?"

Zuko found some realive that he was not the cause of the look that Mai was providing. However, he was interested of what she had to say. "It's okay dear," Zuko stated. "You can tell me anything."

She took in a deep breath in anticipation. The words were in her mouth, but she feared that Zuko wouldn't understand. She looked around the courtyard, praying to the spirits that no one else would spot them at this moment. And then, upon exhale, she looked at Zuko back into his eyes, and said the words that surprised him.

"I think your sister was right."

Zuko's eyes immediately widen in confusion. His breathing even stopped. The fact that the two words 'Azula' and 'right' were even in the same sentence staggered him. To Zuko, the only time that those two sentences should ever collide was if the sentence was 'Azula likes to kill people with her right hand.'

"What?" he whispered harshly.

Mai furrowed her brows. "You promised me you wouldn't get mad."

Zuko shook off his anger, fully remembering the promise he stated earlier. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just….what do you mean by that?"

Mai looked down at her feet, waiting for some confidence to come to her, and then she stared into her husband's eyes like a lost puppy would to a possible owner. "Well, the whole theory that she had on crazy people…..I think she was going somewhere with it." Then she immediately defended her self. "I'm not saying I agree with her on everything. What are kidding? I'd be a mad man if I believed ever word that came out of her mouth…..It's just; you know how you told me that Mailto asked her if there was a method to her madness."

"Yeah," Zuko replied.

"Well, I think that method is philosophy." She stated. "I think she's just trying to get a point across. And so far, she's being very deliberate."

Zuko had the strange look of confusion in his eyes for a mere two seconds, then he leaned his neck down, and kissed his wife on the hand; very lovingly. His kisses trialed up her arm, and then right to her face. Once he got there, he gave her the look of reasoning, and understanding. It showed that he fully understood her, and that he was about to explain some import key elements to keep in mind.

"Mai," he stated lovingly. "I understand why Azula may sound right to you. In fact, sometimes I think to myself that there may be some truth ascending from her lips. But you have to remember one thing. She's completely mad. This is the same woman who put people's lives in danger, for years. This is the same woman that lied to our faces, and then turned around and threw us in jail. These pearls of wisdom are coming from a lady who has visions of her mother. And even if she's right on some things, I don't think we can trust her. Not just yet."

Mai gave Zuko the strange look of astonishment. There was no gaping mouth, but there were the eyes heavy with affection. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. She broke back and looked at him with the most understanding eyes.

"You're right." She stated.

"I always am," he stated with a smile.

And for one of the rare times that Mai did it, she smiled ever so brightly. "Smug bastard." She said with a laugh. Then she kissed him again on the lips.

* * *

The next day, Zuko awoke to the most horrendous smell. It was an awful smell that caused his body to almost shake in disgust. He immediately went forward in his bed and plugged his nose. His eyes actually started watering. The smell seemed to spread across his master bed room. he got up from his bed, careful not to disturb his sleeping wife, and then once his feet touched the floor, he began to try and find the source of the smell.

He found that the smell was outrageous, and seemed to be the same everywhere. Except, he found one small difference in the range of smells, and noted that the closer he went to the left, the more horrendous the smell was. He started going towards his left, trying to find the source of the smell.

And then he saw it.

At the very end of his master bedroom, the smell raged like an animal in a cage. It seemed to be coming from his bedroom closet. And as he looked through the tears in his eyes, he could see a piece of papper posted on the master bed room closet. He became curious, and started walking over to the papper. He found out that it was a note, possibly a letter; noting his length. And even more surprising, was that when he held the piece of papper up to his face, he found that the letter was addressed to _him._

Wondering what this note had to say, and why it was posted on his bedroom closet in the first place, he began to read on.

This is what it said.

* * *

Dear Zuko,

I'm sorry that you had to wake up to this horrible smell. I can imagine that right now it's even ten times worse than what I smelled. Just knowing that the heat would cause the flesh to cook, it just makes me shiver in the chair just thinking about it. But I had to do this. I felt the sudden urge to. And because of this urge, I couldn't' sleep. It was hard holding on to the underside of Appa's leg for dear life, but I had to get over here. I had to send you this message. My mind was racing with everything that me and Mailto talked about earlier today, but for you it be yesterday, seeing as how you were asleep when I posted this note on your master closet. You looked so innocent, so calm, and you seemed to not have a care in the world, kind of like Ty Lee was. I say was because well, where she's going, she'll always be sleeping.

You may be asking yourself 'what does Ty have to do with this?' well, she's the source of the smell. Her gutted out body is behind you closet door. Ty Lee was kind enough to let me stay in her room when she found me. I guess she won't be making that mistake again. I'm sure that dead flesh is not the best smell to wake up to in the morning. BUT I HAD TO TELL YOU THIS! It was an urgent message that floated across my mind after therapy. I had to tell you. Well, it's not exactly an urgent message; it's more of a piece of advice. And that piece of advice is this.

Life is short.

It's even shorter for some, than for others, as you can tell. And you'd be surprised about how shocked people react, when they realize that they're not going to live forever.

Case in point, there is an old fragile man staring into a mirror, and he realizes that he has now become old and weak. Or, maybe there is a girl in an abusive relationship, and she notices the bruise on her left eye, and knows that it's only going to get worse. Or maybe there's a small child, realizing as he stares into his own reflection, that she's a monster and would cause nothing but harm. OR MAYBE! Just speaking out on a limb her Zuzu. MAYBE, there's a fire lord who finds himself stuck in a position of high power, and yet nothing to do with it. He realizes that all his life will be full of, is stupid followers, asking him to grant request and make laws, and make them happy, day after day, and year after year.

That's why I took Ty Lee along for the ride. She wanted to know where I was coming from, so I killed her. Because if Ty Lee can show you, a REAL DEAD BODY, and how it looks so different than the kinds at funerals, I know that my job is done. When I took her into her room, at first she was resistant. She told me that she feared of upsetting you, and I told her that it was okay, and that where she was going, she wouldn't have to worry about upsetting anybody.

Of course, what am I writing on about! You'll know exactly what I'm talking about when you see Ty Lee in the morning. Considered her gutless and hallow body a present. Think of it as a little 'thank you' basket for all the therapy you've given me. I would have gift wrapped her, but I couldn't find a big enough box.

In conclusion brother, the point I'm trying to make is about morality, and how in today's society, we can so easily lose it. Our lives are no longer controlled by ourselves any more. They are now controlled by the powers that be. In fact, even the powers that be, like you, even have their lives controlled by their fellow followers. But the point is, when you see Ty Lee's dead body in your closet, I plead with you not to think of me. I want you to think about how short our lives really are. I want you to focus on what you want to do, and only consider what _they_, your fellow followers, want you to do. I want you to realize, that if you have a brain, you should follow your heart. And if someone tries to judge you, kill them in the dark.

Live each day as if it were your last brother.

Cause who knows? It just might be. Just ask Ty Lee.

Azula.

* * *

Zuko's heart thunderously pounded as he finished the letter. His eyes were now raging with fear and rage. He was now panicking. He rapidly and fiercely opened his closet door. When he opened the closet door, he prayed to the spirits that his sister was wrong. He hoped to Agni that all his sister wrote down was a lie. He wanted his sister to be wrong, and he wished and dreamed that all his sister wrote down in this letter was just deception and trickery.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

* * *

**I am also sorry for any spelling errors or grammer mistakes I might have made. I had no time to look over this so I had to post it right away. **

**I also apologize for Ty Lee's death, but it was important to the plot, and I hope I havn't offended any Ty Lee fans. it teared my heart out to kill her, but it needed to be done for the story.**

**other than that, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. a dream come true

**Here's the new chapter. I thank all of those who reviewed. Please spread the word so that more people may read it. I hope that you all are enjoying the story so far and will continue to review. I have basket ball practice going on and our first game begins 5 days from when this is posted. However, I'll try to write as much as possible during my down time. And without further ado, here is the newest chapter to Method to the Madness.**

Lockdown.

It is the phrase used by some which describes the confining of prisoners, or patients, to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance. Lockdown also describes the process of events to which a high place of security, such as a mental hospital, would go through to keep the prisoners, or patients, locked up. No one goes in and no one goes out. It is completely shut down for a period of time.

And for Republic city mental care, they take lock up to the extreme.

Millions of patients are suddenly thrust back into their rooms, with a personal guard standing by their door. Many personal are told to wait in a secluded area of the hospital, for their own personal care.

But in order for a Lockdown to happen, an order must be given by a high official. It doesn't matter who the person is or high they are in the political system, if they send a letter describing a reason for an immediate lockdown of the hospital, the go code is initiated, and lockdown begins.

So who would want to lock up republic city hospital, so early in the morning?

That person would be a fire lord by the name of Zuko.

When Zuko awoke and received his "Gift," he immediately did three things. 1.) He screamed in horror; awakening his wife, who also exclaimed a gasp of fear and utter shock. 2.) He and his wife immediately woke up everyone who was staying at the castle (this being Aang, Soka, Katara, Suki, and Toph) and issued them for an immediate search and seizure of the palace. When it was discovered that there were no traces of his sister in or around the palace, Zuko decided that it would be best to order an emergency visit to Republic City hospital.

Why would Zuko want to go the source of this chaos you may ask?

The death of Ty Lee was a personal blow to everyone. It not only shocked the gang, but angered them as well. A fiery rage burned in Zuko's heart at the death of a close personal friend. Animosity filled his heart and his head became filled with dark thoughts of anger. And he had many questions rising in his mind as he contemplated a good way to string these questions. There was only one person to answer these questions. And that person was out and about somewhere, ready to kill.

Azula.

The last thing that Zuko did, after he discovered the body, and got the gang to get on Appa, was he sent a letter to the hospital using his messenger hawk. Knowing that the hawk was smaller, and thus, a much faster flyer, Zuko calculated that the hawk would arrive at the hospital 2 hours before they would on Appa. He wrote a message out to all of the public officials of the asylum. It was an urgent message, filled with tension and paranoia.

It simply said "My sister has escaped! She can be anywhere, including the hospital. She may even harm the inhabitants inside it. Put the place on lock down! Now!"

Zuko attached his message on the bird, and then sent it to the hospital. Afterwards, Zuko immediately hopped on Appa, and he, Aang, and the rest of the crew flew expeditiously to republic city hospital.

As estimated, the hawk arrived at the hospital about two hours before the group did. When they arrived in the later afternoon, most of the place was empty and uninhabited by outside officials. It was vacant and desalinate, as if the apocalypse had happened in this confined space. This was not out of the ordinary; since the place was suppose to be locked up tight. Just as protocol, when the place was on lockdown, the only outside guard would be a man in tall stature, standing behind a door, opening a slit to ask for a password.

Zuko politely gave the password, which was immediately recognized by the man behind the door, and he was let on in.

Once inside, another guard came up to them, and politely bowed before them. Then he opened his mouth and bestowed the biggest piece of confusion that settled on their minds.

Apparently, Azula never even left the hospital. It was reported by several hospital staff and guards, that when the order was commissioned to conduct the search for Azula, she was in her room, silently sleeping. As Zuko added up the information entering his skull, he came to this conclusion. Azula, after killing Ty Lee and leaving the note, must have returned back to her room and decided to nap. It was the logical conclusion, but it was so confusing and illogical for a person not to escape, it almost seemed impossible. It left Zuko confused. Millions of questions arose in his head all at once; giving him a migraine.

Why didn't Azula try to escape? Why didn't she try to kill him, if she saw him sleeping? And did she feel any remorse for killing a close friend of the past?

But what confused the fire lord the most, and left him the most bewildered and flabbergasted, wasa small token of information that the guard told him after the initial message. The guard told him that Azula was now heavily confined in a room; bond to a straight jacket, and a guard with Mailto was present in the room with her.

And she asked if she could speak to her brother.

* * *

Strait Jackets were defiantly not Azula's cup of tea. She hated how it caused her to be constricted. She hated how it caused her arms to get tangled up; how it cause one arm to fold over the other. She hated the bland white color. She hated how tight strait jackets really were. And she epically was furious about strait jackets, when one was placed on her.

She grunted and snorted in dislike. She hated being in this room. She was unenthusiastic about the fact that she was now sitting on the floor, and wasn't provided a chair. She believed that it was Mailto that was the cause for all her discomfort. He gave her a dirty look that she never received from him before. He had the eyes of disgust, and the face of disappointment. Azula thought that because of this look that was present on his face, he was the reason that she wasn't provided a chair. He was the reason that there was now an unknown guard in the room with her. And he was the reason for the hideous and loathsome strait jacket.

So leaning forward from the floor a bit, and not getting up off the ground, she asked him.

"Is this really necessary?" She exclaimed sardonically.

"The guard, or the straight jacket" Mailto replied viciously.

Azula looked around the room for a minute, as if she were thinking about the question. After eyeballing the guard for a good ten seconds, she sighed in discomfort and frustration.

"Both?" she prompted.

Mailto sighed with irritation apparent in his tone.

"You're tied up in a strait jacket because of the advents you pulled last night." Mailto explained. "The guard, Boulder, is here due to protocol. We are waiting for the arrival of your brother."

And as if on cue, a loud slam was heard not too far from the room. Mailto turned his head to the source of the sound. Behind him was the door, and looking through the small horizontal window, he noticed Zuko, steaming and furiously walking towards the door. Azula didn't even have to look up to know it was Zuko. She just knew it by heart that it had to be Zuko who was so pissed off.

"Speaking of…" Azula remarked.

At that moment, Zuko went through the door, never once keeping his eyes off Azula. They blared with rage. He was now in a dimension of anger that Azula never noticed before in her life. As Zuko slammed the door shut behind him, he stopped in the middle of the room, and looked at Mailto.

"Is the whole room secured?" He asked.

"Yes sir," Mailto replied.

"And did you search her for weapons?"

"She's clean when we placed the jacket on her. And there is no possible way that she can escape the jacket."

Zuko gave forth a slight nod in Mailto's direction. It was a nod of gratitude that told Mailto that Zuko was grateful for doing his job. Then he snapped his head towards Azula. He bent his knees so that he could look her dead in the eyes. This was a move that if any normal person had done to Azula, was bold and scary. Zuko however, was filled with a passionate anger that pulsed through his body. Reasoning was left out. The only thing that was in was mind right now, was to make sure that his message got across to Azula. And that message was filled with anger.

"We need to talk about what happened last night." Zuko proclaimed. "I demand an explanation."

Azula bit her lower lip, and got an off distant look in her twitchy eyes. It looked like she was thinking about what Zuko said, as if she had no clue to what he was referring to. Suddenly, her mouth gapped open, her eyes widen, and she exclaimed an "oh," in discovery. Her face went forward as she remembered.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "So you got your gift."

Zuko's fist shook with fury. "Are you expecting me to say _thank you_ for the_ dead body_ in my closet!" he loudly exclaimed.

"I'm not offended by postage." Azula smiled.

"We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior." Mailto stated from the back. "This gets us nowhere, and is proof that your mental health is deteriorating at a much faster pace. We can't have this."

Azula looked up as she licked her lips and twitched. She rolled her eyes in disappointment and sighed angry. She acted like a child who was being persecuted by her parents. "Fine, fine." She exclaimed like a spoiled brat. "No more dead Ty Lee's."

She then turned her head and eyeballed Boulder. "Dead Boulder's on the other hand…."

The body guard shoved her body a few inches away from him, noticing that she was starting to stand. "Stay on the floor," Boulder commanded.

Azula gave the bodyguard a disapproving scowl. Then she turned her eyes on Zuko, who was now standing, facing his back to her, and looking like he was about to pull his hair out. When he turned around, the frustration was nothing shy of over the top.

"Do you have any idea of how this is going to affect you?" Zuko practically screamed. "I can choose to have you executed right now on the spot. But you're lucky that I have some sense in my skull, unlike you, and I'm going to wait till the end of the week to make my decision. It's the right thing to do, and it would be something that our father would never do; and to not be my father is something I strive to be."" Zuko then stood up, calmed himself down, and crossed his arms. "Now, I have some questions that I'm going to ask you. And when I ask you these questions, you are going to give me a straight forward answer. Got that?"

Azula blew a strand of hair out of her face, and then gave Zuko a ready and resentful face, that symbolized she wasn't scared of him or his power. She was rebellions and destructive by heart "Okay, shoot." She replied, with a snotty tone in her voice.

"Firstly, how come when you were placed in this room, did you ask for me?" Zuko began.

Azula flashed Zuko an evil grin. And although Zuko looked all too serious on the outside to be frighten, on the inside it was a much different story.

"I didn't want you," Azula stated. "I wanted to see how you would react. And so far, you didn't disappoint. Anger, frustration, over self confidence and fear; it's like having an afternoon dinner and a show." And with that, she flashed her teeth in an insane manner.

Zuko turned his head to Mailto, as if to ask for an explanation to his sister's answer. Mailto gave him a look of laziness. It seemed as if Mailto was saying that she did this all the time, and that he honestly had no clue why she was acting like this. Zuko turned his head back to his sister.

"Okay, second question." Zuko began. "You said in the note that you saw me while I was sleeping."

"I most certainly did." Azula said as she leaned back against the wall. "You looked just like a baby; peacefully sleeping." Her expression then lowered itself to disgust. "I hated it!"

"Well, if you hate me as much as you do, then why didn't you try to kill me?"

Her reaction to this question, was so insane, so out of control, and so over the top, that it sent a vibration of immediate shock and fear up the spines of everyman in the room; including Boulder. She started bouncing off the floor, her whole body was quaking. She was laughing. It was an uncontrollable snorting laughter. And at one point, she started coughing due to lack of oxygen.

"_Kill you?" _She exclaimed with a cork in her brow as she continued to laugh. "Why would I want to kill you? What would happen to me then? What would I do without you Zuzu." Then she had an evil smile as she looked like she was contemplating. "Do you honestly think I'd go back to becoming a hired assassin? No, no, no. Zuko, as much as we hate each other, we complete each other. Zuko, you complete me."

"You're garbage that kills for money." Zuko replied with a monotone; as if he was stating fact.

Suddenly, Azula got vicious. Her teeth gnashed as she screamed out her next sentence. A small burst of flame flew out, and lighting danced in her eyes.

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE YOU'RE ONE OF THEM ZUZU! YOU'RE NOT!" then suddenly, after scaring most of the men in the room (although Zuko still remained firm) she calmed herself down and leaned her back up against the wall behind her. "You're not one of them, even if you'd like to be." She stated with a smile. "You see, to them, you're just a freak…..like me! And they'll keep you for now. They need you to lead them." Then she got a foreshadowing grin on her face, like a mother does to a child when she is reminding him on a key factoid. "But when they don't…." she sang. "They're going to cast you out…..like a leper. You see. Their code, their quote unquote 'rules,'…..it's a bit of a bad joke. Drop at the first sign of trouble? Please." Then she got a serious look on her face. "Mother was wrong Zuko. I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."

Zuko again flashed his eyes towards Mailto. But this time, his eyes were deepened with sadness and disappointment. He couldn't believe how bad his sister had become. She was no longer a monster; that was certain. She was now worst than a monster. She was a radical Idealist. And she was the perfect leader for a rebellion. He had now grown confused in his heart, with this new information. This would affect his decision greatly. But, shaking it off, he refocused on Azula and asked his third question.

"Thirdly," Zuko said. "Did you feel any remorse for Killing Ty Lee? Anything at all?" he exclaimed.

She gave Zuko a confused look from the floor, as one eye brow raised over the other. "Why would I feel that?" she asked flabbergasted.

Mailto walked over to Zuko, and spoke to him directly. "Zuko, if that's the case then that means her subconscious is not only repressed but-"

"MY SUBCONCIOUS!" Azula screamed in agony; interrupting the two, for she could fully hear the conversation. "My subconscious…..you don't want to even know what my subconscious brews up."

Mailto and Zuko looked at Azula. They both had some minor fear in their eyes, but they mostly looked like they were analyzing. They looked like as if they were trying to either accept or reject Azula's plea to not study her. With a forceful shake of their heads, they decided not to dwell on what Azula said.

Finally, it came down to the last question.

"Why didn't you try to escape after you got out of your cell?" Zuko asked.

Azula glanced back at Boulder, who was standing at attention, facing Zuko and Mailto. She gave him what was neither a scowl nor a smile, but a strange abysses of somewhere in between. She then looked back at Zuko and Mailto, and leaned forward a bit, and kept one hand cupped over her mouth; whispering.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know," Azula began quietly. "If you get rid of the _ape _over here." As she said the word ape, her eyes twitched towards boulder.

Zuko glanced between his sister and Boulder. He held his finger and his thumb between his chin, and stroked it as he started to think. After a long period of silence, Zuko came to a conclusion. He looked towards boulder, who held his shoulders back and stood upright.

"Boulder, your presence is no longer needed." Zuko exclaimed.

"But master fire lord," Boulder began. "It's says under protocol that-"

"Forget protocol." Zuko retaliated. "This is a direct order. Please go outside."

Boulder took a look between Zuko and Azula. He looked shocked. At one hand, it was protocol to stay with a prisoner during lockdown. On the other hand, it was a direct order. And even though boulder lived in the earth kingdom, disobeying a direct order from the fire lord could lead to dire consequences. So with a shrug, Boulder started walking towards the door. When he passed Zuko, he whispered into his ear to "be careful" and then he was out of the room.

After watching the guard leave, Zuko and Mailto turned their heads back towards Azula, waiting for her to begin her reply. With a nasty grin, she started to speak.

"I didn't want to escape," she said with a grin. "I love this place. Free food, free company, free housing, and I get to watch the crazies pour in. Besides, last night Zuko, another reason for which I came back, was because I wasn't escaping just to kill Ty Lee. I got out of here to help you."

A strange and bewildered look was present on the fire lord's face. "Help _me?" _Zuko said while cocking a brow. The anger was now becoming more apparent by each word.

"Well of course," Azula exclaimed with a smile. "This _is_ therapy, after all."

"I'm not the one who needs help." Zuko proclaimed.

"Neither do I," Mailto said.

"Come, come now." Azula said with big puppy dog eyes. Her voice started getting considerate; as if she were talking to a pet. Her face was still accompanied by the smile of curiosity. "Don't talk like that. _Everyone _needs help at some point."

"And right now it's you." Mailto began. "Zuko and Aang have been here since the very begging. Zuko has to choose at the end of the week whether to put you away, or to execute you. And if you keep doing things like this, your chances of only getting banished are getting more and more slim."

As Azula was listening to Mailto's argument against her, she slowly started to frown. By the end of Mailto's spiel, her face was now a dreadful, disgusted scowl. Hate was blaring out of her vocal chords as she breathed heavily like an animal.

Suddenly, she violently thrust her head back against the wall. A loud _BANG_ bounced across the walls of the room. Zuko and Mailto literally jumped when she did this. Zuko even let out a tiny yelp in fear. Behind Azula's head was a large crack in the rock walling behind her. And from the red substance on the floor behind her, Zuko could tell that the back of her head was bleeding.

She stared at Mailto with animalistic eyes of rage.

"Why are you still here?" she asked mad through gritted teeth. The blood behind her head was now streaming around her neck, adding to the hatred.

Mailto was completely overwhelmed by the question. There was never a point in his life that left him as confused as this moment was now. He was also a bit shook up from Azula's strange actions before. So when he replied, he stuttered.

"Um…..I'm your doctor?" he said.

She still stared at him with all her fury. Her eyes were blazing with the souls of the damned. She looked like she was going to rip Mailto's throat out.

"If this were a normal relationship," Azula exclaimed darkly. "This would be the moment where you would pack up, change locks, and get out." Then, she started to lighten up, although the change was very little, if none at all. "Now, in the beginning Mailto, I completely understood you. The fame and the recognition you would have received if you cured me would have been tremendous. People all around the world would have known your name. You could have been a star. And the respect of your colleges would be admirable." Then she turned her head towards her brother. "And Zuko, I completely understand you as well. You're just a brother trying to help out a sibling. And that I can sympathize with."

Then she gritted on side of her teeth, as if she was trying to be vague. It was as if she was trying to keep a secret, and it was completely in a sarcastic manner. "But in case you haven't noticed, Ty Lee's dead because of you two."

This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Zuko's face stretched itself into a form of rage. And he screamed. "YOU ARE NOT HOLDING US-"

"Responsible?" Azula inquired while smiling. Suddenly, she began to laugh again. "You know Zuzu, I think it's rather cute that after all these years, we still have a brother and sister bond. I mean afterall, we still finish each other's sentences."

Zuko got down from his high point. During his screaming, he was literally standing on his tip toes as his voice raged higher. He started standing still. His eyes blared in anger. His face was disgusted. He now officially hated her. He now wanted her gone. He wanted her to only be a bad dream. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare, and have her be no more.

"You're unbearable." Zuko stated low and disgusted.

Azula's face suddenly beamed. It was as if she received information. It looked as if she discovered something amazing, or that if she was enlighten on a certain area in her life. Her eyes twitched about in her head as she fully remembered something. She started swaying back and forth as her mind reeled in scenes. She then began to lick her lips and speak.

"You know what Zuzu, Mailto; that reminds me of two dreams that I had while I was asleep earlier today." She commented. "The first dream I had, Mailto was there."She said. "It also had Aang and Sokka in it too." Then her face started blushing bright red. "I can't really get into details about this dream; noting how inappropriate it would be to bring it up right now. All I can say is, a sticky white substance was involved." Then she shook her head, like an animal shakes its fur to dry. "The second dream I had," she proclaimed. "Had me in it. And in this one, I go air bison hunting." There was a strange period of silence after she proclaimed what her second dream was about. "Aang's bison," she confirmed. "I mean, where else am I going to find an Air Bison." Then she leaned back, and began telling the story of her dream.

"I track Aang down to this strange pasture. And it isn't long till I spot Appa, big and proud and fluffy; eating grass and yawning. I take aim at him with my fingers…..and…_BLAM!..._I get a lightning bolt dead on the center of his neck. Appa falls down like a ton of bricks. And he's dead all right. So I walk over there, and I gut the beast. The steam is rising from his stomach, and I can feel the creature's intestines in my hands. Then, I look back down…..and that's when things go horribly, _horribly, _wrong. I suddenly realize 'wait. That's not an air bison. _That's a man dressed up as an air bison!_ And this isn't a pasture. This is a park!' and there are kids screaming and running in terror. Parents start calling for guards to arrest me. And I first I feel the urge to flee, and then I think 'well…..why stop now. I already gutted him.' So I take the human body back to a tent I have out in the woods. And I skin the man. And I make a little rug out of his skin…it's a nice little rug…..just….sitting by the fire place…a human rug….and that's when I woke up."

The dread that filled the atmosphere was too epic to describe in words. Zuko felt fear in his heart. His pulse went up 100 percent. His heart started beating faster. His eyes widen. Zuko would admit that he was afraid. But could you blame the poor fire lord. He was standing in front of a woman who wouldn't mind having human skin accompany the floor of her home. Zuko was terribly frightened.

Mailto was horrified as well. But out of the ashes of his fear, came the repulsed anger he had at Azula's behavior. He was exacerbated and deathly angry at Azula. She had no clue what she was getting herself into.

"Is this a game to you?" Mailto asked darkly.

Azula replied by giving him the puppy dog eyes.

He lost it. The anger was already at breaking point. The thin ice keeping him from falling into anger was already cracking. Azula's actions were like if a large safe came crashing down on the ice, causing it to crumble under pressure. And Mailto was now suddenly submerged in his anger. There was nothing holding him back. And he uncorked a bottle of righteous fury that even he was unaware that he had.

"Now I have risked _EVERYTHING!_" Mailto screamed. "I HAD TO FIGHT FOR MY JOB AND THESE SESSIONS. IF I FAIL, YOU EITHER LIVE OR DIE. GOOD FOR YOU, YOUR DESTINY IS SEALED. BUT WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE ME AZULA! HUH! WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE ME. EVEN IF YOU END UP STAYING HERE, THEY'LL JUST THROW YOU TO THE NEXT DOCTOR IN LINE. I'LL LOSE MY JOB IF I DON'T CURE YOU! WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS! WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION AZULA! HUH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!"

It was at this point, out of nowhere, Sokka opened the door behind them. The immediate sound of chaos filled the room. Mailto and Zuko turned their head behind them. Sokka and boulder stood in the door way, holding the door open. Behind Sokka, a stampede of people was running down the left of the hallway. Sokka was breathing heavily, and his face was that of fear, and anxiety. He was in panic mode.

"We need to get you out of here, now!" Boulder proclaimed.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Zuko asked.

"Remember Carmine, Azula's friend; three cells down," Sokka began, as he hyperventilated. "During the lockdown, one of the nurses found Carmine dead. _His body was skinned! Like he was some sort of animal rug!" _

Zuko and Mailto's eyes immediately widen. They turned towards each other and shot their glances of fear and sudden realization. They turned their head to Azula, who was amazed.

"Don't look at me." She proclaimed like a whinny child. "I was here the whole time. You know that. And if was during lockdown, I was asleep!"

And that's when she made the horrible mistake.

She lifted her hands straight up in the air, like a preacher or a monk or a teacher would do when they were proclaiming. Her arms were freed from the jacket. She had revealed that the whole time the strait jacket was on, it was never secure. She revealed that she could now escape strait jackets. She immediate realized her mistake, and squinted in embarrassment.

Boulder, who was standing at the doorway when this happened, immediately ran over to capture Azula. As part of protocol, a guard's job was to catch a patient if he or she were to escape, in any way, shape, or form. Since Azula was now out of her strait jacket, Boulder immediately ran up to her and placed her in a grip lock that caused her to have no use of her hands and neck. Boulder then started caring her out of a room. it was protocol to take the escapee, to a special padded room or cell, with no way of escaping. As Boulder carried Azula away, the girl began to scream.

"Guess I muss sleep walk, huh Zuzu!" she proclaimed as she was carried out of the room. "You know, the good news is, I don't snore!" and with that, she started laughing insanely as she was carried down the hall.

Zuko couldn't believe what was happening. His sister now had the ability to break out of a strait jacket. She was now more evil and insane that ever. And with a laugh like that, her condition was more vivid and clearer than ever. Azula, may never come back. But to make matters worse, as Zuko watched his sister being carried down the hall, he felt something heavy placed in the palm of his right hand. Zuko looked down to notice it was a doctor's badge. He looked up to notice a disgruntled Mailto rubbing his temples.

"Find yourself a new doctor." Mailto proclaimed. "I quit."

**Will Zuko find a new doctor in time? Will Azula ever be cured? And do Azula's dreams mean more than just psychotic tendencies?**

**Find out…..in the next chapter of "A Method to the Madness."**

**I'm sorry, but I love leaving people on cliff hangers. I assure you though, that the new chapter will be posted immediately after this one.**

**Thank you for reading the new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. a poem

**This was originally part of the third chapter. However, I felt that I should have separated this because it seemed like an individual chapter itself. It also focuses on the other character besides Azula, and how her insanity is affecting them. **

**Near the end of this chapter, there is a poem written by two of the characters**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! READ THE POEM!**

**It is some of my best work yet. **

**I may not have time to work on this again. I trying out in an audition for something big. I don't know what it all, the only information that me and my mother were given, was that Disney was a part of it, and it might be a commercial for something. So if I do get the part, I will barley have time to work on fan fictions. However, I promise that I will try to write as much as possible.**

**Wish me luck on my audition.**

**And without further ado, here it is.**

Zuko laced his hands within his hair. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair as the frustration became unbearable. His thoughts couldn't stop running about in his head. The problems that have presented themselves today were maliciously horrific. They caused discomfort and frustration in his head. The headache was now ten times stronger, and he could feel his pulse pumping through his head. He looked down at the dinner that was presented before him. The guest at the table all stared at Zuko. He was acting like this ever since they sat down at the table. The gang was already finished with their food, and Zuko's plate was completely full. He had never once touched his food; not once. The truth was, Zuko wasn't really hungry. He couldn't even gain the ability to feel anything. Attitude is toxic, and can spread from person to person. And Zuko was now suffering from Azula's attitude. Zuko's stomach was twisted in so many knots, that he feared he could even swallow a piece without regurgitating it.

Aang, feeling concern about his friend, walked over to Zuko's side of the palace table, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Eat," Aang commanded with a smooth voice.

"I don't want to." Zuko mumbled.

"You'll need it." Aang said. "A man who starves himself only hurts himself."

Zuko sighed as he stared at the plate of noodles; the steam no longer rising. For the plate was now cold and empty, just like Zuko's heart at the moment. The frustration and self loathing was eating him alive.

"It's just…." Zuko began, trying to release his tension. "She's now so much worst. I don't know what to do. And now with Mailto gone, I don't know who to hire. I can't find a replacement doctor in time, and even if I did, I fear she'll affect the doctor's life as well. What should I do?"

"Why do you ask me?" Aang said. "I can help you, but in the end, it's your decision and your decision alone."

"Well thanks a lot!" Zuko exclaimed sarcastic, and aggravated.

Aang at this point, looked away in frustration. Zuko was a self loathing man that could cause the cheeriest of people, even Aang himself, to have a low self opinion. As he looked away, he noticed a messenger speaking to Katara. He was leaning forward and whispered in her ear. She seemed happy about whatever information she received, for a smile grew across her face.

"What's going on?" Aang asked his loving wife.

Her smile only grew wider and happier. "They're here." She replied buoyantly. She stood up from the table, and made a small commentary towards the guest at the table; being Sokka, Aang, Zuko, Suki, and Mai.

"Now as we all know," Katara began marching a bit. "Azula needs a new doctor. But not just any doctor. She needs a doctor that has a high degree in psychology, and knows his way around the mind. We literally need a doctor, who can _bend _a mind, and force it into his or her will. But where do we find a doctor like that? Now my friends, on this day of all days, my friend Toph suggested to me such a doctor who could do so. And although he does have a history, of being a criminal, I believe that even though we may not trust him, he is the right man for the job. He has molded minds. And he is also aware of Azula's evil nature. He has been affected by her evil core as well. I released him from the Ba Sing Se, prison myself. And Toph had made promises of showing him Azula's file. Toph is bringing him in right now." And with that, she waved her hand in the direction of the hallway.

From the darkness, the sound of footsteps echoed with a receding thud. They became louder and louder as two figures became clearer and clearer. One figure was larger than the other, and it was apparent that the smaller figure had the other figure bound to prison chains, and was pulling him along. The smaller figure came out of the darkness. It was Toph who was master over this criminal. The taller, leaner, and more deviating figure made its way out of the darkness. He was a very tall man. He had on a fine Earth Kingdom robe, which was tarnished after years of imprisonment. He was now bald, with the only hair being his devious mustache and goatee. It was none other than the master of brain washing, former Dia Li leader, Long Feng.

Everyone's eyes immediately slanted in annoyance when Long Feng became present. The hate towards him was still present. Aang seemed to be the only one that had no more resent. As the Avatar, he had to move on. Otherwise, he would have become grouchy and bitter, and no longer peaceful. Still, there was still some left over annoyance.

The only true person that wasn't angry or resentful was the only person that hadn't met this man. Zuko.

"Who is this guy?" the fire lord asked Aang.

"My name is Long Feng." The tall man replied. "I was the leader of the Dia Li before your sister viciously and rudely betrayed me and ruined our disagreement."

"He's also a betraying and deceptive liar, so I wouldn't listen to him." Sokka loudly yelled.

"I am sorry for the acts I've commented in my past." Long Feng proclaimed. "Truly, I am. But I know that I have the cure to Azula's insanity, and I insist that you must listen."

Sokka slowly began to set down. Zuko's ears immediately opened. He wanted to know of the knowledge that this stranger had. He seemed so confident that he had the answer. And Zuko was so desperate at this point, he'd take anything. So, with his eyes opening wide, his ears perking up, and his heart rate rising, he began to listen.

"I am a strong advocate of hypnotherapy." Feng began. "I have used its powers before to erase minds. And as you all know, it's radical power is truly effective. I know of a certain technique, to not erase minds, but to erase bad and repressed thoughts. Thus, it will effectively cure any mental disease. I believe, that if we were to initiate a hypnotherapy session right now, it will immediately cure her."

"Immediately?" Zuko stated with awe.

"Yes, Immediately." Long Feng answered. "But In order to do so, I must know Azula more in depth. I pulled up her file, with the help of my parole officer, being Toph at the moment. It was good information, but I fear it may not be enough. She said during one of her latest therapy sessions that she was writing poetry."

"Yes." Zuko replied.

"Do you have any poetry that she has written before her mental collapse?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Zuko began. "But she was never invested in the arts before her mental breakdown. In fact, she hated the arts. I'm afraid that there would be nothing to help you, in my case."

"Hmm, fair enough," Long Feng commented. "But if anything does come up, let me know immediately. I must be heading off to the cell given to me in the fire nation, for my time is up. However, am I clear to assume that I may have an immediate hypnotherapy session with Azula tomorrow."

Zuko didn't have to think on this. Though Long Feng was a past traitor, and a possible deceiver, he was confident that he had the cure. And if that was true, Zuko would forgive the man of his crimes any day, and he hoped that his friends would forgive this man as well. His answer was immediate. He knew what had to be done, even if it was drastic. Zuko wanted his sister cured immediately. The time to act was now.

"Crystal." Zuko replied.

* * *

As Mai was walking Zuko towards their room, the fire lord could tell by here twitchy posture that something was up. She never was twitchy. She seemed so smooth and monotone through her life. Never, did Zuko ever see his wife nervous. When they reached the door, Mai silently opened it, and hurried to her nightstand that was present on her side. She opened the drawer, and began rummaging through it, as though she lost something.

Zuko corked a brow. "Mai?" he asked. "What seems to be the problem?"

Mai looked up quickly. Her face was anxious. She looked like that she had something to say, but she feared the words wouldn't come out right. Slowly, her nervous face became that of fear of rejection. She slowly closed the door, and presented herself at Zuko. In her hands was a small paper. She nervously held the paper, and it started to crinkle as she held it tight. Zuko brushed his hand caringly and lovingly across Mai's cheek.

"Mai," Zuko whispered passionately. "You can tell me anything."

Mai looked up, and after a sigh, she told him what needed to be said.

"Remember when I, Ty Lee, Azula, and you all stayed at Ember Island?" Mai began. "And you remember how we came back and completely annihilated Chan's house?"

"How could I forget?" Zuko said with a smile. "It's my fondness memory of my sister; true teenage rebellion at its finest."

Mai nervously handed Zuko the paper. He grabbed it slowly out of her hands. Her eyes darted between the paper and Zuko. So he fully knew that this paper had to be important. But how did the incident at ember Island came to play was unknown.

"Today, when Long Feng asked us if Azula wrote any poetry before her descent into madness, you said that she didn't." Mai fully let go of the paper. "You're wrong. She did. The day when we were leaving, I found her slumped over a desk, with this under her. She wrote this all night. She didn't tell me, but I could tell due to the hand writing. I read before I left, stuffed it in my clothing, and kept it with me all these years."

"Why?" Zuko asked.

"Because it was like she knew us." Mai retaliated. "This Poem is deep. And it's directed to herself. And she feels just like we do. It's entitled 'I know you.'"

Zuko stared into the paper. The ink was now painting itself in his brain. He picked up every word, every syllable, and every line; determine to know more about Azula's thoughts on him. As he read it, he slowly became shocked. He couldn't believe it. Not only was it a fantastic piece of art, but it was very deep. And the biggest shocker of all was that she did indeed know him and herself pretty well.

Here is what the poem said.

* * *

_I know you_

_You were too short_

_You had bad skin_

_You couldn't talk to them very well_

_You were socially awkward_

_Words didn't seem to work_

_Words lied when they came out of your mouth_

_They lied_

_You tried so hard to understand people_

_You wanted to be part of what was happening_

_You saw them having fun _

_And it seemed like such a mystery_

_Almost magic_

_They had the ability to have fun with life_

_They had the ability to smile_

_Why couldn't you_

_This magic made you think that there was something wrong with you_

_You'd look in the mirror trying to find that little kink_

_You thought that you were ugly_

_And that everyone was looking at you_

_So you learned to be invisible_

_You learned to look down_

_You learned to avoid conversation_

_The hours_

_The days_

_The weekends_

_Ahh, the weekend nights alone_

_Where were you_

_In the basement_

_The attic_

_The room_

_Were you working at some shit no end job just to have something to do?_

_Or did you hurt yourself just to have something to do_

_Were you given a task to restore your honor, but you realized that you may have none left_

_Did you work just to have something to do?_

_Just to have a place to put yourself_

_Just to have a way to get away from them_

_A chance to get away from the ones that made you fell so strange and ill-at-ease inside yourself_

_Did you ever get invited to one of their parties?_

_You sat and wondered if you would go or not_

_For hours, you imagined the scenarios that might transpire_

_They would laugh at you_

_If you would know what to do_

_If you would have the right things on_

_If they would notice that you came from a different planet_

_You alien_

_You monster_

_Did you get all brave in your thoughts?_

_Like you were going to be able to go in there and deal with it and have a great time_

_Did you think that you might be 'the life of the party?'_

_That all these people were going to talk to you_

_And you would find out that you were wrong_

_That you had a lot of friends, in fact, and that you weren't so strange after all_

_Did you ever end up going?_

_Did they mess with you?_

_Did they signal you out?_

_Did they kick you out?_

_And did you find out, that the only reason they invited you, was because you were so weird_

_Yeah, I think I know you_

_You spent a lot of time full of hate_

_A hate that was pure as sunshine_

_A hate that saw for miles_

_A hate that kept you up at night_

_A hate that filled your every waking moment _

_A hate that carried you for a long time_

_Yes, I think I know you_

_You couldn't figure out what they saw and the way they lived_

_Why was life so easy for them?_

_Home?_

_Home was not home_

_Your room was home_

_A corner was home_

_The place that they weren't, that was your real home_

_I know you indeed_

_You're sensitive_

_And you hide it, because you fear getting stepped on one more time_

_It seems that when you show a part of yourself that was the least bit vulnerable _

_Someone takes advantage of you_

_One of them steps on you_

_One of them screws you over_

_One of them betrays you_

_And even if they hadn't yet, you fear that one day you do, and the paranoia eats you alive_

_Like worms descending on an apple_

_Like bugs eating up a corpse_

_Like scavengers_

_They and the people most close to you mistake kindness for weakness_

_But you know the difference_

_You've been the brunt of their weakness for years_

_And strength is something you know a bit about, because you had to be strong to keep yourself alive_

_You know yourself very well now_

_And you don't trust people_

_You know people too well_

_You try to find that special person_

_Some you can be with_

_Someone you can talk to_

_Someone you won't feel so strange around_

_And you found that they don't really exist_

_In fact, you feel closer to fictional characters, than actual personas in reality_

_Yeah, I think I know you_

_You spend a lot of time day dreaming_

_And people have made comment to that effect_

_Saying that you're 'self-involved' and 'self-centered'_

_A snob_

_A monster_

_But they don't know you, do they_

_They don't know about the long nightshifts alone_

_About the years of keeping yourself company_

_All the nights you wrapped your arms around yourself_

_So you could imagine someone holding you_

_The hours of indecision_

_Self-doubt_

_You feared that you couldn't live up to anyone's expectations_

_Even if you had talent_

_The intense depression_

_The blinding hate_

_The rage that made you stagger_

_The devastation of rejection_

_Well…maybe they do know_

_But if that's the case, they sure do a pretty good fucking job of hiding it don't they_

_It astounds you how they can be so smooth_

_How they seem to pass through life as if life itself was some divine gift_

_And it infuriates you to watch yourself with your apparent skill_

_With your talent_

_With your ability_

_And finding every way possible to somehow screw it up_

_To blow your chance of becoming 'normal'_

_To blow your chance of having 'honor'_

_To blow you chance of gaining 'love'_

_All you wanted, in the end, was love_

_For you, life is a long trip_

_Terrifying and wonderful_

_Birds sing to you at night_

_The rain and the sun_

_The changing of seasons_

_They are true friends_

_Solitude is hard won ally _

_Faithfull and patient_

_Yeah, I think I know you_

* * *

Later that night, Mai woke up with a thunderous head ache. Her whole body could no longer sleep. She hated these nights. These were the nights were her whole body wouldn't sleep. She feared that she had a disorder, but she didn't care. As long as she was next to her boyfriend, who'd be equally naked as well, she'd be happy to stay up for a few more hours.

For last night, was pretty much, the best sex she had in her life.

But when she rolled over, to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's lips, she discovered that he disappeared. His side of the bed was vacant and empty. In place of his body, was an empty spot? It was just a piece of air. Nothing. Mia frowned at this revelation. She almost panicked that Zuko was taken away from her. And she would be justified in her state of panic. With the recent Azula escapes, it was hard not to fear someone killing her husband. But she immediately noticed a glimmer of light. It was a small shimmer. She recognized it as a lamp, which the fire lord lit whenever he had paper work that he had to work late on. When she turned her head towards the lamp, she noticed a gracefully asleep fire lord; head stuck on the desk; body slumped; and a thunderous snore erupting from him, as he slept in his chair.

A smile crept up her face. A dirty thought plant itself in her mind. She slowly got out of bed, and snuck up towards him. Her naked body pressed up against his back lightly. Her mouth slowly got closer to Zuko's ear, and she was only moments away, from whispering his name very seductively.

But then, her eyes caught the paper under him. It was the poem Azula wrote long ago. On the left of the poem, was a letter. The letter was addressed to the republic city hospital. She almost hated herself for doing stuff like this, it was very nosy. Still, curiosity swept over her, and she opened the letter and began to read. It was another poem, addressed to Azula. And it was defiantly written as a response to Azula's poem long ago.

Here's what it said.

* * *

_Dear Azula,_

_I know you too_

_Do you know me?_

_You're not alone_

_Some of us do know your pain_

_All these things pass away_

_As we do_

_And life gives as well as takes_

_And you learn that fact, but it still angers you_

_How life seems to only give you shit, and take away happiness_

_On this temporary plane of existence_

_There is no time to forgive_

_No time to forget_

_No time to become popular_

_No time to be normal_

_Right?_

_Wrong!_

_There is time_

_And you don't have to be anything, other than who you are_

_You are you, and you are unique, and no matter what anyone says, you are yourself, and that makes you amazing_

_Let them laugh_

_Let their words hang in the air unchallenged_

_Let them show their true selves for the entire world to see_

_And wait patiently, for their judgment is coming_

_And they will be cast down_

_And they will be humiliated_

_And one day, they will be the ones misunderstood_

_Lonesome_

_Fearful_

_But love them back_

_Do not take vengence_

_Violence be gets Violence_

_Love thy enemy_

_For they are now you_

_Instead of being vengeful_

_Instead of being hateful_

_Instead of being secluded_

_Open up_

_Someone will kick you,_

_But those corny little motherfuckers will get their just deserts_

_One day_

_One day they'll hear themselves_

_One day they'll discover how horrible they were_

_One day, they'll discover how ugly they can be_

_One day, they will become you._

_And one day, you will find them,_

_And you will forgive_

_And you will laugh with them, and not at them, like they use to with you_

_One day, you'll find a friend_

_Search for a friend now_

_Search the crowd where the laughter becomes silent, and search for another pair of pain filled eyes._

_And then my friend you will find me._

_So now we know each other_

_So now we are friends._

_Let me introduce myself_

_Hi, I am your brother_

_And I do know you._

_I do._

* * *

**Azula's poem, while some of it is written by me, it's a somewhat edited version of Henry Rollin's poem 'I know you'**

**The second poem, Zuko's poem, is mine, all mine. I can assure you. **

**I just like this chapter cause it's showing how Azula is getting into their heads, more than they are getting into her's.**

**Thank you for reading. You have no clue how much you people keep me going on my writing.**

**PLEASE REVIEW. **


	5. a waterbed

**Hello there! I am super sorry for the long wait. Basketball was a bitch. The holidays took up most of my time. Semester test kicked my ass (I passed, but the studying was extremely hard). I got a new girlfriend (so we all know how much dedication that takes). And my rock band finally got a gig. We are playing a new year's show at our school, from 11:00 to midnight. Band practice, basketball practice, and other fan fics will take up some time, so just for a fair warning, the next chapter will take a while. **

**In the mean time, I have a situation to talk to you about. It's not necessarily dire, but I'd like your opinion as fans. During lunch on our last day of school, one girl in my class had a Avatar character theme songs list. Immediately afterwards, other kids made their list of songs as well. When I presented mine, most of the kids teased me and made fun of the songs I chose. (We are extremely differing on genres. I=Paul McCartney, They=Jesse McCartney.) So I decided to post my list up on this chapter and ask for your opinion on the list. **

**Aang: Imagine (By: John Lennon.) For me, this song fully captures Aang's motives for peace and John Lennon seems like such a perfect person to compare to Aang. Aang is charismatic and optimistic, (Like John in **_**A Hard Day's Night.) **_**and Aang is also a man wishing for peace, (John Lennon when he was an activist.) and every time I hear this song, I just picture Aang playing this on the piano with Katara be his side. Speaking of which… **

**Katara: Waterfalls (By: TLC) the title says it all. And I know that Lisa "One-Eye" Lopez seems so much more like Toph, but for me, I can't hear the main chorus without thinking of Katara. And I can imagine an Avatar TLC being made up of Katara, Suki, and Toph.**

**Sokka: Just (By: Radiohead.) I saw a fan video on YouTube for Sokka with this song. And I immediately liked the idea. The song kinda shows how Sokka is a little clumsy and always puts himself in a bad situation. Good leader, funny character, cool guy, and I'd like to hang out with him. But, he's clumsy. **

**Zuko: Epic (By: Faith no more.) The song keeps asking the question, "what is it?" and for Zuko, I think that if he listened to the song, the "It" would be honor. It has this tone and this texture as if you were taking a long journey, and the piano at the end makes me immediately think of Zuko on his bad days. This is a Zuko life song.**

**Toph: Stronger (By: Kanye West) it just perfectly fits Toph. There are many lines in the song that make me think of her. Like "Bow in the presence of greatness," and "You should be honor by my lateness, that I would even show up for this fake shit." It just has this full of itself attitude, and if there is one member of the gang, who has a really high self-esteem, it's Toph. C'mon, admit it. **

**Mai: The One (By: Elena Siegman.) I don't have that many songs on my ITunes that have Dark themes that would suit Mai, and I don't really listen to much Paramore. (*doges rocks thrown by readers* I know, I know.) but for me, this song seems like something Mai would listen to, and it actually **_**sounds like Mai is singing the freaking song.**_** It's monotone, it's dark, it has to be Mai. **

**Suki: Hit Me with Your Best Shot (By: Pat Benatar) need I say more. It fits. Full feminism. No need for comment. Moving on. **

**Ty Lee: Your love is my Drug. (By: Ke$ha.) I always find that when I hear this song, Ty Lee pops up. It just seems so bubblegum and pop like. It's fully happy and joyful. And Ty Lee is always happy. Moving on.**

**Azula: Liar (By: Henry Rollins.) Just listen to the song, right now! RIGHT NOW! Open up another window, go to GrooveShark and type in Henry Rollins and listen to the song. It fully fits. I can just Imagine Azula singing this song. And the ending line, "and I'll keep lying. I promise." Epic. Just purely Azula like Epic. **

**Jet: Blank Generation (By: Richard Hell and The Volvoids.) a pure punk rock, "fuck the system" rebel song, can only fit the biggest rebel character. And it has this tone like Jet was writing the song.**

**And that's my list. Please give your opinions in the comment section. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy this new chapter. **

* * *

It was already a bad day.

She was not allowed to sleep in her usual bed. After her actions last night and the day before, the staff and advisors ordered for her to be transferred to a cell for her rest, instead of her usual cot. As a result, her neck and spine aced with pain. And because of this, she couldn't sleep. She yelled and screamed at the top of her lungs. She breathed fire and spewed it out of the cell walls. The guards in front of the door did indeed jump at the sight of this, but as she continued to scream, they continued to remain resistant. It was apparent that those guards wouldn't leave. So she stood up, all night, and did not gain any slumber.

When she was ordered to go and report for her therapy, it had come to her at the worst time possible. She was standing in the lunch line, when one guard was advised to find the crazed lunatic of a woman and send her to the therapy room. To say that she was resistant, would have been an understatement. Again, the order came at the worst possible time. One of the members of the lunch staff was holding out the spatula to give Azula a bowl of soup. So when the guard tapped her on the shoulder, and order her to leave, she amazed everyone by breaking free of her straight jacket, reaching over the counter, and throwing the entire pot of hot boiling soup on his face.

The scars wouldn't leave for approximately 3 years.

They grabbed her and threw her into the room against her will. This was apparent by her raging screaming. It was a blood curdling scream that would send shivers up anyone's spine who heard it. She was furious. As time passed, she eventually lost all of her rage, and sat down on the chair at the table, and waited for her doctor's arrival. So she waited…..and waited…..and waited. An hour and a half later, her anger was replaced by annoyance. A scowl revealed itself on her face. It had already been a dreadful day. She wasn't allowed perfect sleep. She wasn't allowed makeup. And she was denied food. She was in no mood for waiting.

It had been a bad day, and it was about to get worst for her.

She was looking into the viewing room, watching all the advisors sit behind it. They watched her like a zoo animal. It made her sick. But she found something Ironic about the whole situation. Well, maybe not necessarily ironic, but fairly amusing. Before her attacks and outburst of anger which resulted in murder, she only had at least 7 advisors. Now, she had 14 advisors, double the original number. They included the entire gang, or what was left of them; Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai. A dirty smile smeared itself across her lips as she thought deviously, _if I really wanted so much attention, I should have started killing way earlier. _

She watched them, and noticed something very odd. Each person had this strange tick. Every few seconds, they would nervously twitch their eyes and necks. Was it out of fear? Possibly. After all, she did kill one of their friends. But this entire nervous atmosphere was starting to affect the poor girl. And so, with her nerves on high velocity, she spoke directly to her audience.

"Why are you acting so nervous?" she proclaim with a smile. This resulted in a distressful jump from Sokka in his chair. She furrowed her brows at the sight of this. "Come on," she whined without any reserve. With a psychotic grin she exclaimed. "You know that Mailto doesn't like an unhappy audience."

At that moment, the door at the end of the hallway opened. At first, she thought it was Mailto. She smiled happily, which sacred most of the audience, for they had never seen Azula happy. While these useless therapy sessions did annoy her, she happened to very much enjoy the doctors company. After ten years of mental evaluation and confinement, she came to think of the doctor as her companion, possibly even more, if vanity allowed it. She came to know the doctor very well, and knew how to make Mailto very agitated. She enjoyed doing this, and as the shadowy figure came into the room, she prepared herself for another round of therapy, in her favor.

Then, as more of the dark figure became recognizable, Azula's devious grin soon turned into a scowl of horror. This was defiantly not Mailto. Furthermore, this was someone that she utterly despised. She thought of this man as weak. She thought of this man as limp and supine coward. She hated this man. She wanted him to burn. A coward like him gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. And soon, her scowl of horror turned into a scowl of annoyance.

Announcing as if it were bile spewing from her lips, she proclaimed his name. "Long Feng."

Long Feng walked into the room with confidence. He looked drastically different from the night before. It amazing what a little brush up and a trip to the spa could do for a prisoner. The long, gray, horrid shaggy beard that reeked of fowl prison smells; gone. The texture of his skin was now no less than perfect. Even his finger nails, which were long, yellow, and completely disgusting, were now transformed into perfectly trimmed and cleaned nails that the spirits would have been jealous of.

He sat down on the chair. His self confidence was booming, and it projected itself through the way he talked. There was no doubt in his mind, that he would be the victor. "Good morning, Azula. And how are we feeling today?"

She sighed exasperatingly and without reserve. She blew a strand of hair that had covered her eyes out of her face. "Awful, actually." She stated casually. "Where's Mailto? I'm usually greeted by his presence, and not this ungrateful swine of a man that is you."

Long Fen smiled with nostalgia. And while this comment did anger him, he had a job to do, so his emotions were strictly professional. "Dr. Mailto is no longer with us. He sent in his retirement papers in this morning."

She opened her face in shock. Her jaw dropped open. Her eyes showed that she was confused. She gave off a sound that caused the entire gang to look at each other with quirked brows, and inquisitive looks. For the first time in a long time, she gasped out of amazement and was very surprised by the news. She looked lost and sadden.

"He left because of me?" she asked dreadfully.

"It appears so, yes." Long Feng exclaimed with a smile. It was a smile that was distrustful, and was only used to shown that he had won.

She at first looked very distressed. It was a panic look that most of the gang wasn't accustomed to. In fact, Zuko got off his chair and leaned against the glass to get a closer look of his sister, unsure of what was going on. She never was surprised, and even if she was, she never showed her suffering. But now she was glancing at the table, holding fistfuls of her hair, and choked on her ragged breath as she held back tears. She looked horrible.

Suddenly, she gave off that annoyed sigh once more. And when she lifted her head from the table, she had an annoyed and bored look that even Mai was impressed by.

"Well I suppose that He didn't like my gift giving attitude." She proclaimed.

Long Feng corked his brow, unsure what to make of what she just said. "Gift Giving Attitude?" Long Feng inquired.

"Why yes," Azula proclaimed, shaking due to her insanity as she spoke. Sometimes, she would even stutter. But never the less, she remained self-righteous and empowered as she spoke. "I, in fact was very joyful. I couldn't believe my brother's rude actions towards me. And now Mailto has treated me unkind. I give my brother a present, and both of them are offensive towards me?" then, she twitched her eyes back and forth, as if she was coming to terms with her actions. "I suppose Mailto had the right to be angry. After all, I give my brother a gift, and I give him nothing. But it's hard to find the right person to kill for Mailto. Trying to buy him a gift is hard. I mean, what do you give a man who has everything."

Feng provided the answer. "Nothing." He replied.

Azula furrowed her brows, and she se gave off a confused look. In her eyes, greed was something to be admired. She was raised to believe that greed was good; or at least that was taught to her by her father. So for someone to tell her that nothing was the greatest gift of all, it struck Azula in a way that left her shocked. She believed that the more you had, the more you wanted.

Feng, didn't ever think another thought about his answer. Sitting his feather pen down after he took his notes, he rested he hands on his lap, as he gave off his second question. "Let's start with something simple." He proclaimed. "Why do you think you're here?"

If Azula could, she would have crossed her arms in a rebellious attitude. Though it's very hard to cross ones arms, if you're already in a straight jacket. "Back to square one, are we?" she asked with a sarcastic smile. "All that progress, now vanished?"

Long Feng looked up with a prying brow. He was not expecting this as an answer. In fact, he was flabbergasted. "You believe you were making progress?" he questioned unbelievably.

"With him, yes. With you….oh no. I see no future with us." Azula exclaimed. Then, using her teeth, she bent over on the table, and grabbed the pencil in her mouth. Bringing it up, she moved it around until she got the pencil vertical. She spat the pencil with a mighty force. The pencil flew all the way down to the other end of the therapy room. Long Fen looked at Azula, with a mixture of awe and wisdom. "Now, why don't you take your sorry, wimpy, cowering ass and crawl back under whatever hole from which you came,"

Long Feng sighed as he held the bridge of his nose. This was a typical reaction that he was expecting from Azula. It was violent, rebellious, and filled with angry and rage. But all of that would change in an instant. Long Fen was sure of this. He had all of this confidence in his art. This new form of therapy was going to take the world by storm. And if he cured Azula, he would get not only the fame and recognition from his colleges, but he might in fact get a pardon from Zuko. No more jailing, no more imprisonment. And most of all, he'd be a free man. All that mattered now was this therapy session, and the results it would bring.

"I think by the end of this session, you'll be viewing that pretty differently." Ashe said this; he stood up from his chair. He began pacing back and forth with a parading attitude. He was a self pompous bastard indeed. "I will be performing a….shall we say….radical approach."

"Shock therapy?" Azula questioned. Then she psychotically smiled. Small little blue sparks danced around her body. "No need to wait for a rain storm like they use to. I can take care of it all by myself. I'm a personal lightning in a bottle."

"No, no, no," Long Feng repeated with an amusing smile. "I understand that you have been having dreams. These dreams seem to coincide with your violent behavior. As you are aware of, I preformed mind wipes on various people during my time as leader of the Dai Li. A few years ago, I had an epiphany. If I can erase memories, perhaps I can erase behavior. Of course, that behavior can't be based on instinct, such as eating or speaking. But I can defiantly erase certain emotional qualities of a person. Emotions are kind of like ideas. They are the most parasitic and sometimes, the most destructive thoughts that rage throughout the human body. Thoughts can be erased. Idea's can be planted. Emotions first must be planted, and then erased. I can perform this. I am a strong advocate of Hypnotherapy. And I believe, that with the right amount of effort, you can be cured with only one Hypno session."

Azula literally gasped in shock. Her eyes widen with splendor. She was amazed by this statement. _She could finally be cured? _She dreamt of a world without the voices. A world where she would finally be at peace. And she smiled at these thoughts. For the first time in her life, she was hopeful. "One!" she exclaimed with amazement.

Zuko, behind the mirror, chuckled and smiled at this. While he was not entirely sure that this would work, he felt that the spirits had to be in their favor. After all, his sister was finally enthusiastic. Zuko now had to put his completely trust in Feng's hands. It seemed like a near impossible task. But it had to be done. For his sister's stake, for his stake, for the world's stake, this was their last ditch effort. And Zuko smiled. He had some confidence, knowing that Azula was fully willing to be cured.

After Long Feng nod and smiled at agreement at Azula's reaction, she leaned back and somehow returned to the original monotone emotion that she presented at the beginning of the therapy session. "All right, I'm game." Azula proclaimed as if she were bored. "But how radical are we talking?"

* * *

She was uncomfortable.

She looked uncomfortable. In fact, she looked mighty frighten. She was currently bound to a wooden chair with straps around her wrist and ankles. The chair was placed right in the middle of a circular track, just like how the Dai Li use to perform mind wipes. She looked like an animal that had been taken away from its habitat, and placed in an ecosystem to which it wasn't accustom to. She was defiantly, not accustom to bondage. And with a window to her left, with all the advisors and the gang watching her, she got a strange sense of stage fright. In fact, she was so frighten, she started to stutter.

"I-I-I'm a little bit nervous about this one doc." She stuttered.

Long Feng faced Azula from the outside of the tack. He lit a lamp with a match as he spoke. "Relax," Long Feng instructed as he placed the lantern on the track. "It will not hurt. We are merely observing your unconscious brain patterns and emotions." Once he fixed the lamp so that it wouldn't fall off, he looked towards the observation window to his left, and nod to the guest out of thankfulness. It had taken a while, which was why he was so late to begin therapy, but with the help of Toph and a few staff members, Long Feng was able to use an abandon room, and turned it into a hypno-chamber. Once the avatar shook his head up and down out of reply, Long Feng turned back to his patient. "Now, do you have any questions before we begin?"

Azula stayed quiet for a few moments, as her eyes twitched. She seemed like she was trying to think of a reasonable question. Then, after those few moments of what appeared to be thinking, Azula looked directly at Feng. "Yes, I have one question. If this works, and I wake up, and my pants are off an there's something between my legs-"

Long Feng chuckled at this statement, causing Azula to be interrupted. "Relax." He ordered once more. "A patient will only do what he or she would be willing to do in a conscious state."

There was a few more seconds of silence. Then Azula spoke once more. "Like I said, if I wake up and my pants are off, and there's something between my legs…" When she said this, she lifted what she would of her hand, and pumped her index and middle finger, symbolizing that those fingers would be that "something."

Feng was somewhat disturbed by this comment. But he closed his eyes, and shook this distress off. He had a job to do. Using his earth bending, he slowly caused the lamp to move along its tracks. It surrounded Azula in its circular pattern, and she was entranced. Long Feng noticed this. She was now in hypnosis. But she was not in her unconscious state. She was only half hypnotized. She needed to be fully hypnotized, so that the left and right side of her brain were in sync. To do this, Long Feng needed her to settle down, and almost fall asleep.

"Close your eyes." Long Feng commanded with a soothing, yet strong voice. Azula immediately obeyed, and her eyelids closed. Keeping the light moving, using its sound to keep Azula hypnotized, he began to speak. "Clear your thoughts. Now, I want you to imagine a place of safety. A sanctuary. It's quiet, peaceful, and you are in no danger. There is no one there to disturb you."

Azula, as she was being told about this place of safety, began to enter a strange dream like sleep. Her eyes twitched about inside her eye lids. Her breath became slower than normal. Her shoulders, which were usually tense, almost lowered themselves past her chest, it that was possible. Her fingers and toes would curl and uncurl involuntarily, as she became relaxed, and at ease. She was now in a complete state of unconsciousness.

This was perfect for Feng. He had her right where he wanted. She was now a pawn in his hand, and he was ready to take the next step in this round of hypnosis. "Breath in deeply," he commanded her.

She breathed in so deep that she almost sucked the atmosphere out of the room. her lungs had filled themselves to the brim with oxygen.

"Exhale." Long Feng ordred.

She breathed out deeply. Anything that might have caused her to cough or breath shallow had been removed. Her throat was clear. Her nostrils were clear. But most importantly, he3r mind was clear. She focused on the one place of safety that Long Feng ordered her to remember. She thought about the place vividly. Every detail of this sanctuary was intense and powerful. It was almost like….._she was there._

With a powerful, strong voice, Long Feng commanded her, "Open your eyes."

And her eyes opened widely. It was a rebirth. It was almost like she was shot out of a cannon. She was now fully hypnotized. She was awake, but remained unconscious. She was living inside her head. Her dream was now real. She was completely clear and trouble free. The avatar and the rest of the gang, who had been watching this, almost seemed like they were reborn as well. They had never seen Azula in such an entranced state.

This was perfect for Long Feng. When a subject undergoes a very intense hypnotic state like Azula, the hypnotists could remove, add, or bend certain qualities of that individual. This was perfect for removing violent and erratic behavior. In order to do this, Long Fen had to understand what her place of safety was.

Hypnotherapy was now in session.

Long Feng started with a normal nonchalant like question. "Describe this place of safety to me."

Her eyes lidded themselves. Her voice was zombie like. She almost seemed half asleep, or possibly dead. It was so slow and so casual that the entire gang felt chills travel down there spine when she spoke. Even the advisors got the creeps. "….I feel….safe."

Long Feng was just about to ask another question. The silence started to become unbearable. As he was about to open his mouth, Azula finally began to speak once more.

"I feel like I'm on waves…It reminds me of the ocean…and I never felt more comfortable in my life." Azula said.

"….are you on a boat…a raft?" Long Feng asked with an inquisitive look at this hypnotized Azula.

"…no…It's a waterbed."

It was a reply that no one was expecting. The gang looked at each other inside the viewing both with curious looks and strange corked brows. Long Feng was even awestruck by this answer. This was defiantly not a normal answer. But then again, Azula was not a normal girl. So shaking the reply off, he continued as if nothing happened.

"Are you in a bedroom?" Long Feng asked.

"Well that's a good question." Azula replied with a monotone voice and a gonzo attitude. But before Long Feng could help his patient along with therapy, she said something that made the entire gang, with the exception of Zuko, chuckle. "You know what another good question is…why am I naked in this room?"

Zuko was completely mortified. Any brother would be mortified if their family member, let alone their sister, said something like that. He was outraged, and his sister was embarrassing him. The rest of the gang, including Aang and Long Feng, began to blush and tried to hold back giggles. Sokka was somewhat slipping, and cackles could be heard from across the room.

Long Feng brushed this off, and realized that while amusing, this Q&A was starting to become completely unprofessional. "Let's move on." He suggested. "Are you in a house? Are you in an inn?"

"It's not my home," Azula replied in her hypno daze. "But it feels like home. It actually feels more like home, than my actual home…..it's strange really. I have never felt…..so safe."

"That is good." Long Feng announced. "Tell me your earliest memor-"

Long Feng was immediately interrupted by Azula, who said the three simple words that haunted the gang, and made the entire atmosphere fill with fear and turmoil. Very dryly, she exclaimed, "_**I'm not alone."**_

The entire group was in shock. Their eyes widened at this statement. Even Long Feng was caught off by this statement. It was a strange and haunting atmosphere that filled the room. Her eyes were no completely closed, as the dream became more and more vivid.

"I am not the only one in this bed…there is this beautiful girl right beside me." And with a smirk, still in hypnosis, she said. "Why don't you ask her about her pants?"

The entire gang was completely confused. Long Feng was completely perplexed. He was baffled by her statement earlier, and with this, he became even more puzzled. "….ae you a lesbian?" he asked sincerely.

"Not by nature," she explained. "And I don't really do it often, but I'll take what I can get. Women are just about as fun as men. And let me tell you this. Past lovers, provided some comfort. But this one, female or not, she has given me such a safe feeling, that I have never felt before."

"Is this woman a girlfriend?" Feng asked his patient.

"No. and I really don't see any future in a relationship. She's a married woman."

"….and that bothers you?" Feng asked confused.

"No. she'd choose me over him any day of the week." She stated with a dull dreamlike voice.

"Then that means that this woman, see's something in you that is human; different from the others." Long Feng advised.

The whole gang in the viewing both wondered what it could possibly have been that made Azula more human. But more importantly, they thought about this mystery woman, and who it possibly could have been.

"Well…I like being around her." Azula proclaimed.

"Are you the same when you're with her?" Feng asked.

"Not at all." Azula replied. "She helps me."

"How so?"

"There is only one thing that we do to each other. And it benefits the both of us." As she said this, her voice began to color itself in a seductive way, and in her hypnotic state, she licked her lips and smiled deviously.

"Uh…..I think I get the picture." Long Feng commented. "Where did you meet her?"

That's when Azula shocked everyone in the room. Instead of answering Feng's question, she continued on with her earlier comment. This troubled Feng a bit. He worried that she might have been getting a little bit to deep in hypnosis. But, he decided to relax, knowing that after she was finished with her spiel, he could pull her back. However, he wasn't expecting the shocking conclusion to her monologue.

"But of course, all good things have to come to an end." She proclaimed. "We have been seeing less and less of each other, and she's been hanging out with her husband more and more. So, I thought of ending the relationship in more ways than one. When I told her, she panicked. She tried to run out of the house and explained to me that she was going to get her husband. Now, I couldn't have that, so I had to end the relationship…..I smashed her face in with a rock."

Everyone did a complete double take. They were shocked by how lightly and how nonchalantly she explained a very horrific and violent action. Long Fen was completely stunned. He was not aware of how messed up her subconscious was. Once she exclaimed this, the room filled with a mortified and dreadful atmosphere. Long Feng feared that she was getting too wrapped up in her subconscious, and feared that she might get stuck inside her own dreams. So, he started to slow down the lamp on its rail, hoping that if he stopped the lamp, she'd come back out of her state.

Long Feng was actually so traumatized by her ending comment, that he wasn't sure that he heard her correctly. "You did what?" he asked both viciously and curiously.

"I had to, really." Azula explained in her hypnotic state. "She was going to tell her husband. I couldn't have that. So I had to kill her." She began to squint her eyes. They twitched about in her eye lids. Long Feng was immediately frightened. She was getting lost inside her dream. She was being eaten alive by her subconscious. "Now I have this body to deal with. I'm wondering about stuffing it in the closet."

Suddenly, Azula opened her eyes. She gasped out of shock. Her eyes were now animalistic. They were blazing with fear. "What was that?" she screamed. Her eyes twitched back and forth. "Oh No. her husband. He's coming home. I can see him outside the window. I got to hide the body fast." Suddenly, she began shaking and thrashing herself on the chair. She was trembling with fear and thrashed about violently. "I have to get out of here. Oh shit! Where are my pant's!"

Long Feng immediately stopped the lamp. He rushed over and in a bold and daring move; he jumped over the circular railing, and got right up close and personal with Azula. He placed his hands on her shoulders, hoping to bring her back to reality. The atmosphere became intense. All the people who were watching from the observation booth were now leaning on the glass. Zuko had his forehead pressed up against it, just to try and get a beeter view of what was happening. Everyone was on the breaking point of full out panic, including Long Feng. However, with a small, soothing voice, and with a very small shake, he spoke to Azula.

"Relax," he commanded. "Breath in, and count to ten."

"THERE'S NO TIME TO COUNT TO TEN. I GOT TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Azula exclaimed at Long Feng with the frailest eyes. "I got to push the body in the closet." She then began kicking her feet, as if she actually was pushing a body. "Okay. Now that I got that taken care of. I got to get out of here." With that, she thrashed her body with the most righteous and dominant force. She would have fallen straight to the floor, but Long Feng's hands remained firm, and she stayed on her chair, without falling to the floor.

She was gasping and panting for oxygen. Her eyes were filled with the fire of fear. Slowly, she began to miraculously calm down. "OKAY!...okay…okay…..I'm out of the house…I jumped out of the window." Suddenly, her eyes closed once more. Her eyes dashed about in her lids. She entered the dream like hypnosis once more. And with that zombie like voice, she exclaimed long and drawn out, "….I'm safe."

Long Feng was completely flabbergasted. "…you're safe after leaving this place?"

Like before, she didn't acknowledge the question. "And I can even recognize the house." She moved her neck forward, and with her eyes closed, she described the house. "It's a tall guest house. It's green and gold. And it's right besides the main road, in Ba Sing Se."

The whole room immediately became silent. You could have heard a pen drop from a mile away. This by far was the most shocking thing anyone had ever said under hypnosis. Why? Because the place was real. She was describing a real place. And Long Feng was completely flabbergasted. Because….

"….That…..that's my home." Long Feng described shockingly. "That's my home you're describing."

She opened her eyes. The animalistic eyes of fear, turmoil, anger, or complete excitement, were replaced with her usual yellow eyes. Once she did this, Long Feng jumped a little, for the sight of her suddenly snapping out of hypnosis was unexpected. Once he shivered in fear, Azula grew a wicked devious smile. And with a voice that was so carless and sardonic than ever, she told him the truth without remorse.

"Of course it's your home. My lover was your wife and we used your waterbed."

He was shocked.

And at the worst possible time ever, the sound of a door opening quickly and aggressively rang throughout the room. Long Feng turned around and noticed that a man burst through the door at the end of the hypno room. He seemed to be a messenger. His stance was that of fear. He hyperventilated as he breathed. His eyes were widened with fear. And before Feng could ask him why he was in the room, and how come he so rudely interrupted this intense moment, the messenger gave off the worst possible news ever.

"Long Feng! He exclaimed. As he spoke, he spoke fast and fearfully. "My name is Jerome Lee. I'm a messenger from the earth kingdom security. Around 11:00 am, a small group of earth army officials entered your house acting on complaints from the neighbors about a horrendous smell. We checked every single room, and we ended up tracking the smell to your bedroom closet. Sir…..we found your wife…she's dead. Her face appeared to be smashed in by some kind of weight."

Long Feng's heart rate raced. His eyes became spacious with both trepidation and anger. He turned his head back around towards Azula. The whole gang was now more staggered than ever, and the room was concealed with the thick fog of despair. Feng watched Azula with the most horrified eyes. Azula looked up at him, and corked her brow in a self-righteous and sardonic fasion.

"Did you honestly think that I had no clue you'd be my replacement doctor?" Azula stated with a sarcastic grin.

Long Feng looked at Azula quietly for three seconds.

And then he snapped.

"YOU FUCKING WHORE!" He exclaimed as he ran out to her. He brought his hand up and slapped her with the back of his hand. It was a vicious slap that would leave a woman scared for days. Upon contact, everything went into chaos. The observation room went insane. Officials flew out of their chairs, and began to enter a state of distress. Zuko literally flew against the window, started beating it, and exclaimed, "NOOOO!"

And Azula did the most psychotic thing ever. After the slap, she began to laugh. It was a full hearty laugh that proved her insanity. Long Feng grabbed her throat and threw her against the floor. He brought up his right fist and began smashing her temple and right eye. He was beating her to death. She was becoming a bloody corpse. And she laughed as she was being choked and beaten to hell. In fact, she was screaming out laughter with an uproarious force that she seemed to be enjoying her turmoil.

The only person that was able to rise above the panic, and run out of the observation room to grab a guard to help him pull Long Feng off Azula, was Aang. And being an earth bender, he flew out of the room with hurricane speeds. He grabbed the nearest guard and ordered him to come with him. As the awestruck and completely mortified crowd in the observation room watched Azula get punched in the face, out of nowhere, Aang and a guard came rushing into the room. They grabbed Long Feng under his arms. The grabbed the frantic man and pulled him off of Azula and out of the room.

Aang noticed Azula on the floor. His jaw hit the floor. He was sickened and shocked. Her face was already beginning to swell. Her right eye was bleeding, and she spat out blood between every intake of breath. Part of her lip was bitten off. She might have been confused for a dead bloody corpse, had it not been for one particular factor. She was laughing hysterically at the top of her lungs. And she didn't seem to stop.

As Aang and the guard pulled Long Feng out of the room, he exclaimed six words, over and over again. It was the same exact arrangement of the words, and it was the same exact sentence. Long Feng screamed at the top of his lungs, "HOW DOES SHE KNOW THESE THINGS!"

While the chaos reigned throughout the observation room, no one noticed the depressed and defeated fire lord had disappeared. No one had noticed that he had placed himself into the very far left corner of the room, and stared at the wall. No one noticed that his face was buried into his hands. And no one noticed that he was crying, facing the wall, and exclaiming under his breath, "What am I going to do?"

* * *

**And that was the chapter. It's been a while, so I might be a little rusty. I really hope that you enjoyed it. And please review! And when you review, I'd really like to see your opinion on my Avatar IPod songs. and if you go to my author's page, i have an avatar/ the beatles comparison chart. please comment on that as well.**

**Thank you.**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**


	6. a revelation

**First chapter of the New Year. I'm so stoke. School starts for me on the 4****th****, so I don't know what exactly will happen. I can expect lots of basketball practice, and millions of homework assignments. School will also be the only time I can talk to my girlfriend. (Her father found out, and he got really we decided it will only be an in school relationship.) I also will be attedning my anual school of rock, starting this Feburary. ****In the meantime, while I got some time to kill, I'll be writing for this, and two other stories. So sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

**Please review.**

With a sighing breath of antagonizing stress, he let go of every worry. It's not easy letting go of your pride, epically in front of your authoritarian figure. But with the situation as gruesome as it was, Zuko was running out of options. He needed help. So, with no more pride in his body, he pleaded, "People are dying Unlce, what should I do?"

He sipped politely on his tea, as his nephew explained the problems he was facing with Azula's treatment. Iroh was always the go to guy when any member of the gang faced some problems. He helped Suki and Sokka when their child's constant crying kept them up at night. He helped Aang and Katara when they talked about troubles with the constant travel as part of Aang's duty as the avatar and how it was affecting their marriage. But ever since the end of the war, Zuko spent very little time asking Iroh for advice. It wasn't like that they no longer spent time together. On the contrary, they in fact spent more time together than they did during the war, if such a thing was possible. They always talked about simple things; they had interesting discussions about certain subjects such as Life, war, and the difference between politics and morals. But never did Zuko ask for advice. Those conversations came up as a spark of the moment. Never did they come about as advice for any situation.

Now, with the state of Republic city hospital and with the state of the gang at stake, Zuko forced himself to ask Iroh, for the first time in ten years, for advice.

They were currently in Iroh's small home in Ba Sing Se. It was like the guest house they lived in when they were hiding from the fire nation during the war. Iroh placed the cup down. He hummed to himself as the answer formed inside his head. The nouns, verbs, subject and predicate of the sentence placed itself in his head like a puzzle. Lifting up his finger, he told his nephew his most solemn and gentle advice. "Endure Lord Zuko;" He announced. Standing up, he provided the rest of his guidance. "Take on the challenge, and make the choice that would benefit you more. What choice do you believe would be best?"

"Well," Zuko began with sadness in his heart. "I think that the only reasonable action right now would be to execute her."

Noticing the sadness and the disappointment in his voice, Iroh concluded that Zuko was not proud of the answer. "But," Iroh replied. "You don't think that should be done, now do you Lord Zuko?"

Zuko looked up with puppy dog eyes, which revealed affliction and sorrow. "I want her to be banished to an Island. Just her and her alone. She'll be the only inhabitant and I believe that it would benefit the people. However, the advisors believe that this would not work."

"Still," Iroh inquired. "It's not about what they believe is better for the people, it's about what you believe. As the Fire Lord, you'll be making decisions based on what _you_ think is right for the people. And you won't be able to please everyone. Some people will hate you and wish not to understand why you've made your decision this way. But that's the point of the Fire Lord. He can make the choice that no one else will make; the right choice."

"But I don't think any choice I make will please any one. I think any decision I make will be wrong." Zuko proclaimed. As he said this, his voice became louder, and his self affliction and torment was revealing itself. "On one hand, if I don't kill her, she may somehow spring free from the island and kill us all. Sure, it's very unlikely to happen. The advisors calculated that there'd be a 78% chance that she won't make it off the island. Still, there's that 22% that the officials only seem to focus on." He sipped on his tea after finishing the first point. Once he quenched his thirst, he went on with his second point. "So, on the other hand that leaves me with killing her. But if I do, I feel that I would be no better than my father before. I want to show the people that I am a peaceful leader; one who knows that the death penalty is wrong. Besides that, killing her would be a perfect opportunity for the rebels to gain more people to their cause, saying that me killing her shows that I have no respect for anyone, not even family."

"Again," Iroh stated. "This is not about what they, the people, believe. It's about what you believe. Sometimes, making the right choice is hard. There are those who will be opposed to it, and then there are those who you must decide for, even if the decision is against their will."

"What makes me so confused is why is my sister acting out now?" Zuko explained. "To the advisors and the gang, she's my sister. But to me, she's just another common criminal. I know it seems wrong. She was blood. But my father was blood as well, and what he was doing was wrong. My sister is doing wrong as well, so I had to put up a fight and force her into therapy. I knew that she wouldn't go down easily. But recently, she's been crossing the line. She has sent two doctors home, one of which went completely mad and now he's a patient of the asylum as well. She's killing people left and right, and shows no signs of stopping. She's crossing the line, and I don't know why."

With a hum, his differing opinion on the matter could be seen as bright as the sunshine. Placing his tea cup down, Iroh began to give Zuko advice, to which Iroh knew Zuko wouldn't be fond of. "With much respect, my nephew, you crossed the line first."

Zuko corked a brow. "What do you mean?" he asked inquiringly.

"She would have not acted out recently, if you hadn't have preformed your actions in a desperate and dynamic manner." Iroh stated. "You hammered and squeezed your poor sister with therapy and medication, to the point of desperation. And in her desperation, she turned into someone that even she fully doesn't understand. This is no longer your sister Zuko. This is a monster. And this monster cannot be bargained with, nor negotiated with. She will act on will and compulsion. And she, if not handled properly, will cause destruction."

"My sister is somewhere inside her head." Zuko replied. "Maybe if we search deep enough we can find that little part of her that can be negotiated with."

"Perhaps this being that is now your sister, is someone that you don't fully understand either." Iroh proclaimed. He pulled out his chair and sat on it once more. He looked at Zuko straight in the eyes. These eyes that Iroh was presenting showed that he was full of wisdom and guidance. Zuko'z ears immediately perked up. When Iroh showed this face, it usually meant he was about to present a big pearl of wisdom.

"Let me tell you a story." Iroh began. "When I was still a private in the fire-nation Army; rising through the ranks in order to become a general, me and a couple of my close friends were called by the fire lord at the time, your grandfather. The Fire Lord was still trying to take over the entire air-nation, but instead of genocide, he was trying to bribe local tribes with precious stones. However, the caravans that were carrying these stones were being raided by a bandit. So, as an assignment to raise our ranks, me and a couple of my closest friends in the army, were assigned to track down the stones. But, after six months of searching, we never met anyone who had traded with him."

At this point, Iroh stood up from his chair again. Noticing that his tea had run empty, he went over to his tea pot, and poured himself another cup. As he did this, he looked out the window. And then he stated the biggest and most important part of the story. "As we began to leave on the ship, I looked out on to the port. I noticed a child…..playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The Bandit had been throwing the stones away."

Zuko was confused. "So why was the bandit stealing the stones in the first place."

Iroh turned around, with a giant smile of nostalgia present on his face. "Well, because he thought it was for good sport." Once he said this, Iroh took a good sip of his tea, then walked over to his chair and sat down once more. This time, his face was painted as the face of importance. "Zuko, there are some people, like you and I, and like the Avatar, who always look for logical and non-violent approaches. But fire Lord Zuko, you must understand that there are people like your sister, who can't be bought, bullied, or reasoned with. Some People just want to watch the world burn."

At this point, Zuko looked down to the ground. His eyes were gleaming with understanding, and he began to comprehend this advice, and was agreeing with it. He began to realize that his sister was far beyond treatment. There was no possible way that she could come back after turning herself into this monster. He also realized that while banishing her may not be the best choice, to him, it was the right choice. It was a decision he had to make, and at first, he thought about performing the task now.

"I wish to banish her immediately." Zuko proclaimed to his uncle. "It's my choice and my choice alone. And many people may be mad at me, but I know that it was the most peaceful and most reasonable decision."

"I will support you all the way." Iroh exclaimed. And with that, Iroh walked over to his nephew, and gave him a caring hug, to which Zuko returned as well. Once he let go, Iroh asked him a question. "So when are you banishing your sister? Today?"

"Hell no." Zuko replied with a laugh. Zuko then walked over to his uncle's tea pot, and poured himself another cup as well. "While I do know that my sister is far from recovery, I will not give up hope. I will still banish her two days from now, when her last therapy session is complete. I want to see how this turns out. I don't expect a full recovery, but with the right amount of good therapy, I might be able to heal some damage. And this would be a decision that my father would never have made. Sure, I might be hardheaded, but I will not give up."

"Whether that is a good decision or not," Iroh began. "I will fully support you. But, if I may make a suggestion, I believe that it would be better to get a doctor who knows Azula from before. We need a doctor who knows what Azula was like before her break down. It will be a lot easier to find that part of her inside her head that is no longer this monster."

"Well, none of those exist." Zuko proclaimed. Suddenly, a thought erupted in his mind. _But I have the next best thing, _he thought. A sigh exhaled itself out of his mouth, and it was a sigh of annoyance and realization.

"We're going to need Mailto."

* * *

He was vaguely surprised at doctor Mailto's house. Sure, he knew that people involved in medical science usually got good paychecks. But he had no clue that the life of a doctor could be so extravagant and luxurious. At least, that's what Zuko thought of when he saw Mailto's house for the first time. Although it was only a single story house, it was very large in square feet, and seemed deluxe and modern. The Artistic beauty of the house and how the colors ran so well with each other was phenomenal. When Zuko started out for his journey to find Mailto's home, he feared that he'd live a long distance away and that the journey could take days. Luckily, Zuko found out that Mailto's house was only a small distance away from the earth kingdom capitol. It only took the fire lord 30 minutes to find Mailto's village and home.

Now Zuko was facing the front door. His nerves were now tense. It was strange. He feared rejection. He feared that the doctor would say "no," and that he'd be out of luck. Casting away his fears, he breathed in deeply, and knocked on the door.

And when the door opened, Zuko was surprised.

Instead of Mailto answering the door, it was a very beautiful young woman. She had long flowing blonde hair, green eyes, and seemed to be somewhat small. At a minimum, she was only 4'8. At first, Zuko thought that the woman was Mailto's maid. His house _was _very sensational. But as Zuko studied this woman more, he noticed that her attire was that of a large earth kingdom robe which was only available for the rich and prosperous.

When the woman recognized Zuko, she was immediately stunned. She gasped out of surprised and bowed before Zuko. "Lord Zuko!" she proclaimed. "I had no idea you were coming."

"It's alright madam." Zuko affirmed. "I was wondering if I could speak to doctor Mailto."

"Oh, well of course. Excuse me one second." She exclaimed with a smile. Then, turning her head, she shouted behind her, "Honey!"

Zuko heard footsteps coming towards them. She opened the door a bit more giving Zuko a larger view of the house from the inside. Zuko then noticed Mailto walking towards them. He was walking calmly and was composed. When he noticed Zuko, it was like lightning struck him. He immediately ran forward. Once he was directly in front of Zuko, and besides this woman, he knelt down and humbled himself before the fire lord. Even when Zuko was not in his nation, he was treated like royalty.

"My Lord." Mailto proclaimed as he bowed. "You presence truly honors us."

"Relax." Zuko chuckled with a fair grin. "May I please come in for a moment?"

"Why of course!" the woman proclaimed with a smile as she bowed again. When she finished saying this, Zuko nodded out of respect and slowly walked into the house. Mailto reached out behind him and closed the very large door. "Please, make yourself at home." The woman declared.

_More like make yourself "three homes" _Zuko thought as he stared at the room in awe. The room was humongous. The entire house glowed with serenity and extravagant wealth. The room was filled with fabulous art and lavish furniture. While Zuko did have better in his own palace, it still stunned him that Dr. Mailto could even afford this house, let alone this room that contained such a magnitude of wealth.

Zuko turned around and noticed the doctor and the woman hugging. They were staring into each other's eyes, with the look of everlasting trust and understanding. Love, as Zuko was able to confirm by the way the held each other, seemed to be so radiant that it caused the Fire Lord to smile. 'I'm sorry that I must separate you two for a moment." Zuko said, causing them to jump in surprise. "But I was wondering if I could speak to Mailto, alone."

"Okay," the woman replied brightly. In a bold and daring move, she kissed Mailto on the cheek. A bright crimson blush immediately covered his face. Kissing was something that you did not do in front of royal guest. But Zuko only laughed it off, as he watched the doctor become horribly embarrassed. After kissing Mailto, she turned towards Zuko, and bowed once more. "Would you like anything to eat?"

"That won't be necessary." Zuko replied. "My meeting with Mailto will be very short, but thank you anyways."

"Yes, Fire Lord." She humbly told him. Then she went on her way, walking to an open door which seemed to have lead into the kitchen. Zuko turned around and watched this woman walk away, as Mailto did as well.

"Who is this woman?" Zuko asked aloud.

"Her name is Tera." Mailto statted.

Zuko turned around and faced Mailto. "Do you love her?" he asked.

"Why Yes. Of course." Mailto exclaimed as he as he sat himself down on the couch. Zuko sat down on the couch facing Mailto. Between them, was a glass coffee table. "After all, she moved in with me two weeks ago."

After the both of them got comfortable in their couches, Zuko gave off a serious look. It was a look that sent a shockwave of importance surging throughout the room. Zuko was about to speak to Mailto on an important subject. And by the look on the Fire Lord's face, the gravity of the situation was tremendous. After a few seconds of silent staring, Zuko finally spoke.

"I'm going to make this short and sweet." Zuko proclaimed calmly, as he looked at Mailto directly. "There are only two days left on my sister's last session of therapy. I know that she is now incapable of fully recovering, but I want to at least fix certain qualities about her. It will sort of be like placing a stick and cloth on a broken bone, when you really need healing water. But at this point, I'll take anything I can get. If it can benefit my sister, then I'll have it. In short, , I want you to be Azula's doctor for the last two days."

Mailto released a sigh of anguish and annoyance. He buried his face into the palms of his hands. He looked like he was worn out. He looked as if he had come from a long and gruesome battle. His expression was gruesome all right. He looked like he was about to die. With a long, exasperated sigh, he proclaimed, "I can't be Azula's doctor."

Zuko, realizing that Mailto looked exhausted and aggravated, decided not to react aggravated as well. Instead, trying to lift Mailto's sprits, he smiled. "Come, come now." Zuko stated. "You're a great doctor."

"I'm a horrible doctor and a failure." Mailto replied with monotone. Slowly however, Zuko started to notice that his voice was becoming strained. He heard sniffles coming from Mailto, and he also notice that the poor doctor seemed to be in horrible agony.

"You're a great doctor with a beautiful house and a wonderful girlfriend." Zuko replied trying to lift his spirits.

Mailto looked up.

Zuko was struck cold. The sight was almost frightening. Mailto's eyes were crimson red. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. He had the look that only a tortured animal could provide. In all of his pain and suffering, Mailto to said something that drastically changed Zuko's mood from upbeat, to serious and curious.

"Did you ever think that the reason I left was not for me, but for her?" Mailto asked.

"What? Tera?" Zuko asked.

"No!" Mailto exclaimed, trying to be quiet but showing his pain. "Azula. I had to leave for Azula." He then buried his head as more tears left his eyes, falling down to the ground like droplets of rain. He mumbled to himself. Zuko however, immediately caught it. He incoherently said aloud, "I should have left 2 years ago."

Zuko corked a brow. "Why two years ago?" Zuko inquired.

Again, Mailto spoke only to himself. "Ever since it happened, I knew she would never come back."

Now Zuko was _really _interested. His curiosity was unbearable. "Why? What happened 2 years ago?"

"All I've been after that was a thorn in her side. A scratch that she couldn't itch away. All I was, was a constant reminder of what we did, and I gave her false hope and tortured her with my presence."

This was starting to intensify these feelings of curiosity for Zuko. Now anger was starting to get involved. With a harsher, darker tone, Zuko asked again, "What happened 2 years ago?"

"I constantly kept teasing her and hurting her with my existence. I am a horrible person. I am so stupid. Why did I do such a thing?"

Zuko finally lost it. The anticipation was too much. His anger was at boiling point. Something awful had happened two years ago, and the fact that he wasn't aware of it, and that he was being teased by Mailto constantly referring to it. His curiosity was now controlling his emotions, which shift drastically to anger. Shouting, but not so loud that Tera would hear from the other room, he screamed "_what do you do?"_

The doctor looked up. He was very surprised that Zuko reacted in such a way. After staring into his eyes, he felt the guilt eating himself from the inside out. The pain caused him to break down. He dropped his head and cried. He cried furiously. He cried in such a way that even a 3 month old child would be jealous. It was a torturous cry that showed that his pain was more than just emotional.

Zuko, was struck odd and surprised by this action. After seeing this, Zuko started feeling his guilt eating him alive. He felt horrible. So trying to relieve some of Mailto's aguish, he walked over slowly, and began to rub the doctors back.

Mailto looked up at the Fire Lord once more. The tears were now streaming down his face like a waterfall. Through sniffles and snot bubbles, Mailto began to speak. "If I tell you this, you're going to hate me. You may even want to kill me."

"I will not kill you." Zuko proclaimed. His importance and powerful gravity of his voice was stretched to the point that it was almost cartoony. But that only was because Zuko needed to address the issue, and have Mailto understand, that no matter what happens, _he will not kill him. _

Mailto looked into Zuko's reassuring eyes. And with much pain, Mailto gave forth the information that would change Zuko's life, forever.

"About two years ago," Mailto began. "One of the guards was going on his nightly rounds checking the cell blocks. He went up to Azula's cell, and he found her with a knife to her throat, willing to comment suicide. She told the guard that she would kill herself unless he got me to the cell immediately. He rushed over to my office, and told me the information. I sprinted to the cell as fast as I possibly could. I went in there, and I tried to calm her down. She said that she had nothing. She said that she lost everything after the war. She said that she never had love and that she had nothing to live for. I tried to convice her that she had everything to live for, and that there was hope that she would get better. But she was frantic Lord Zuko. She held the knife to her throat and then….and then I asked the question….. "What do you want?"….and then…she told me that she wanted a lover. She said that she would kill herself if she didn't get a boyfriend soon."

…_.what the hell does that have to do with Mailto being a horrible doctor? _Zuko thought harshly to himself. The Fire Lord was confused. He watched Maitlo, as the doctor began to shudder in horrible agony. He was now franticly crying in such a way that Zuko sensed that the next portion of his story was going to be the hard part. But why was Mailto asking this way.

Suddenly, in a flash, it hit him. It was like a knive had stuck him in the gut. Every single memory he had about his Sister's therapy went off in a dash inside his head. It was like watching thousands of arrows, each containing a memory, striking him in the head. And some arrows were more powerful than others. It suddenly dawn upon him. Now he realized why Azula always seemed so flirty during therapy. Now he realized why Azula always called Mailto "Dear," or "Puddin." Now he realized why Azula seemed so shocked when Long Feng told her about how Mailto quit. And the news, in all, was horrific. _Oh no! oh no, no, no, no, no! _Zuko thought in his head.

"I had to do something!" Mailto cried. "She was going to kill herself! I thought at first I should run, but then she started moving the knife slowly across the skin…..I….I-I thought I saw blood. It had to be Blood!...I panicked. I didn't know what else to do…..so…I…..I… It started with a kiss…..and then…."

Then he broke down. With tears falling down his face, and an agonizing weeping that would make anyone who heard it cringe, Mailto told the horrible truth. _"I fucked her!"_

Other than Mailto's crying, the only other sound that was present, was no other sound. Horrible dreadful silence filled the atmosphere. The room became cold and dark. Zuko was gone. He was shocked, disgusted, and horribly, horribly angry. This mixture of emotions caused his face to have a blank stare. His whole presence was just blank. Standing there in front of the doctor, Zuko didn't know what to think. His whole reality had been shattered. The life that he thought he knew was completely overwritten and changed. He was gone.

And then he was angry.

Mailto looked up at the agonized Zuko. The Fire Lord pointed at the doctor, and gave forth his judgement.

"Now….I am no longer asking. _I'm ordering. _You _will _be Azula's doctor for the last two days. I can see that ou hate being around her, so that will be the first part of your punishment. The second part; I order you to marry Tera on the last day of therapy. Don't worry about a venue or money. I'll take care of that. You will marry Tera at once, so that you won't pull any more of this perverted shit again. I will tell you this. Someday, I _may _find a way to forgive you. But as of right now…you're dead to me Mailto. You're dead to me."

And with that, The Fire Lord left the house; never to return again.

* * *

**Wow.**

**Um…..well….this new information might be a little shocking to you all. But that's how I was planning it. **

**I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. Even though it was short and that last piece of information probably just like….change your whole thoughts on this story.**

**Um…please review?**

**PLEASE!**


	7. an apple a day

**Hello everybody. I must apologize for the long wait. School has been kicking my ass lately. I've had speeches to do for FFA contest and FBLA contest, science Olympiad, band practice, basketball practice, theater practice, homework, EOC's to prepare for. This whole month for me has basically been a kick to the nuts. And the worst part of it was, sometimes I would get snowed in, and I would honestly try to write, but that fucking little demon called, "procrastination," would tempt me to play Call Of Duty: Black Ops, or play the guitar just a little more, and then I would completely forget I was writing something. I honestly apologize to all of my faithful readers who have been reading this. I really, really, hope you can forgive me. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's possibly my favorite one, basically because it has a seductive Azula. *slowly gives mischievous smile.***

**Here it is.**

* * *

She bit into the smoked Sabertooth Moose-Lion, and hummed in joy as the juicy meat entered her mouth and her taste buds rejoiced in a triumphant euphoria. It had been a while since she last had a decent meal in the republic city asylum, and while it wasn't necessarily the best meal she had so far, it was vital to her goal to act like it was the greatest slab of Sabertooth Moose-lion steak she ever had in her life. Otherwise, all this preparation, and all of this work would have been for nothing.

At this point, some of the juices on the inside squirted out and ran along the side of her cheek. It moved slowly and began to drip on to her shirt….just above her left boob. Looking at the man across from her, with the most conniving and deliciously evil eyes, she dipped a finger in the oil trail along her face, and began to suck on that finger. Slowly drawing it in her mouth, back and forth, she began to close her eyes slowly, and hum in satisfaction.

When she popped the finger out of her mouth, and opened her eyes at the stunned doctor, she just had to laugh. His expression was that of complete bewilderment, that it was strangely cute.

And when she laughed, it was at that moment, that Mailto realized that Azula was evil. Mailto did expect a strange and somewhat unpleasant, welcome back. But this was something he was not prepared for. She wasn't welcoming him back. She was tempting him, and he knew it. Worst part of it was; he couldn't do anything about it.

He decided to just stare right back at her with angry eyes, and reply with a disgusted tone. "I take it that you missed me." Mailto stated.

"Was it really that obvious?" Azula replied with a quirked brow.

Mailto laid his head back down on the table. He desperately wished for an observation booth. If that were the case, people would have clearly seen the torture that Azula was bestowing upon him. But sadly, that was not the case. Instead of a regular therapy room, with an observation booth, Mailto was stuck with Azula in the lunch hall, with the only people somewhat around him, being Aang and Sokka, who was a table behind them, and not paying any attention to the session.

Zuko wouldn't have come. Oh hell no. Zuko hated Mailto's guts ever since he learned the awful truth. Zuko never wanted to see him again; not since he found out he defiled his sister. And even if that meant he would not be able to witness the last two days of his sister's therapy session, and would only know what happened based on Sokka and Aang's word; then that's what he shall do. In fact, that was what Zuko currently was doing in his palace; ignoring Mailto's presence in silence.

Back in the hospital, silence was becoming a little awkward and drastically tense. It had been a whole two minutes of dead silence after Azula ate part of her Sabertooth Mose-Lion steak, before she said another word. In fact, it was barley even considered a word. It was more like a question.

"Well?" she asked curiously.

"Well what?" Mailto spat back.

"Aren't you going to say it?" Azula asked innocently. When Mailto gave off a confused look, Azula placed a hand up to her mouth, coughed, and gave her very finest Mailto impression. "Doctor Mailto currently sitting here with patient…..bla, bla, bla,…..I mean, you know the drill."

"I highly doubt that following the modus operandi is necessary." Mailto began. Then, he leaned forward. Azula leaned closer as well, eyes wide with curiosity at what Mailto was about to say. "Look where we are."  
He stated in a paranoid and highly knowledgeable manner like a conspiracy theorist would. "Placing you out of high security and placing you with the non-violent crowd in the lunch hall….well…it's pretty unethical to say the least."

"Well, I never really been a big fan of….ethical," Azula stated in a dramatic tone, as she leaned back and began to eat her fried cabbage and rice bowl. Noticing that there were no utensil on her tray, (since she was deemed dangerous with a fork and or chopsticks) she began to eat the rice by picking the bowl up, and tilting it to where the rice and cabbage was falling in her mouth.

While he knew it was a dangerous move, he also knew that he had to get his point across to Azula; otherwise, she might very well just become another pawn in the Republic City mental hospital and Fire nation chess game.

"But you do see what they're doing, right?" Mailto asked Azula.

Azula lifted the bowl from her chin and looked at Mailto. Parts of her faced were covered in rice and cabbage. "No?" she asked unsure.

"They're trying to get on your good side." Mailto proclaimed softly as he pointed a thumb at Aang and Sokka, symbolizing who 'they' was.

She thought about this idea for a moment, before finally concluding, "….no." she stated low as she shook her head furiously. "Impossible. I mean, I don't even have a _good _side."

With a sigh of frustration, Mailto began to explain the situation to the somewhat confused Azula. "By lowering security, conciliating the rules, and adding me as your doctor once more….well…as much as I love my job here as a doctor, I can pretty much say that this whole entire hospital is all about image. Remember when you were first stated here? There were thousands of journalists from all four nations looking to interview you."

"And if you _clearly _remember," Azula began with a vicious smile, "I didn't mind the attention. I loved giving interviews. The strange, blank, uncomfortable stares that they had by the end of the interviews, it was pretty much the most hilarious thing I ever saw in my life."

"It seems to me that that's the only thing that you like to do." Mailto scribed.

With a one note chuckle, she looked at Mailto with a devious grin. "Did you _just _figure that out _right now?" _And with that she bit down on the small head of cabbage. As she chewed, she leaned back on her chair, and with a serious and interested look, she placed her hands on the back of her head, and began to relax. "Since you're the doctor here, what exactly do you think is the main problem?"

"No offense to the man," Mailto began, "But you're brother really is the root of all our troubles so far in therapy. First of all, he hasn't bumped up security since you've escaped. And if I were him, I would have placed this hospital under so much security; it would have resembled a concentration camp. And I completely understand why your brother does this. The further away he strains from his father's legacy and attitude, the more he becomes peaceful to the public eye, and the better person he becomes. But the more he does this, the more he tries to protect you. And the more he does that, the more unorthodox our method's at the hospital change. I mean, it's the same reason why we gave you back you're make up."

"Well, you didn't at first," Azula said a little grouchy and sardonic. "In fact, if I remember correctly, you're sluts to which you call "Nurses" invaded my privacy, and took my make up without my permission." when she finished her sentence; she sounded like a spoiled princess. As she continued her story, her eyes twitched about as she looked up; trying to remember what she did in the past. "So, for the eye liner, I found some black shoe polish. And then, for the mascara, and found out that if you use a pin to separate the lashes, it pretty much does the same trick. Although, it is very dangerous, and I happened to poke my eye out on at least several occasions. Luckily it healed. But as for the lip stick, I was stuck in a rut. I literally couldn't find someone crazy enough to give me lip stick. So I called back one of the nurses on one of the occasions that I accidently poked my eye out, and when she came in, I bit her finger off. It was a really natural shade of red, actually. And after that, Zuko pretty much allowed me as much make up as I wanted."

"That's _exactly _the problem we here at republic city hospital have with Zuko." Mailto exclaimed as he emphasized the sentence; trying to get his point across. "He believes that you'd give up your obsessions on your own time, and with a little help here and there, you'd be able to fully recover. But in all honesty, we've been doing that for ten years, and nothing has changed. And I understand the concept behind this, granted that there's going to come such a time like certain obsessions with objects, such as a mask or make up, is pretty much going to interfere with basic human functions."

And as if it were on cue and unnoticeable patient appeared out of nowhere, and sat right next to Azula; much to the surprise of Mailto and Azula herself. The female was automatically recognizable, and welcomed with a disgusted scowl from Azula, and a purposeful cough from Mailto. She was rather small, even though she was 21, and while she was a girl, her dresses and satire made her look very much like a boy. In fact, she almost acted like a man in every aspect of one; the rebellious attitude, the rude behavior, and her ever so present sarcasm. She was small, but vicious. And she was always a badass. She was none other than….

"Hello Smellerbee," Azula proclaimed with disgust.

Smellerbee turned her head, and with a sarcastic grin, she proclaimed, "Hello freak."

Smellerbee's journey to her admittance into the hospital was a long and ironic story. After the death of her leader, Jet, she was basically left with nothing to do. When Jet died, so did the freedom fighter's cause, thus, making her jobless, homeless, and completely on her own for two years, as she tried to find herself. Then, at the end of those two years, she grew a noticeable passion for psychology, and decided to enter the fire nation school for psychology at the tender age of 14, (which was allowed, due to the fact that she was able to fib her way into the system,) and tried to get her degree. 4 years later, she got a job as a doctor at the Republic City hospital. And from 18 to 20 years old, life was pretty good. But somewhere along the line, she snapped. She began to look at herself as more of a boy, and less of a girl, and started to become bisexual. Then she turned fully lesbian, and eventually, out of sexual frustration, she called one of the nurses in to her office, and ordered her to give her oral sex. When the nurse refused and threatened to call the guards, Smellerbee spontaneously killed the nurse via pencil to the neck. In an ironic and sad turn of events, it happened to be that very day that the fire nation board of schooling found out about her lies when she entered the school for psychology, and decided to pay Smellerbee a visit; right exactly at the moment when she killed the nurse.

She was sentenced to the hospital as a patient 2 months before her 21st birthday. Now, 3 months later, she was sitting with Azula, facing Mailto, quietly eating her food.

"Do those rules also apply to Smellerbee?" Azula proclaimed with a forceful sarcastic tone. Afterwards she turned to Smellerbee and asked curiously, "what's it like being teacher's pet?"

"Speaking of picking favorites," Smellerbee said as she turned her head towards Mailto. With a dark and dooming stare, she proclaimed, "Hello doctor Mailto. Do you like the view from my former office?"

"Actually, I can't say for sure," Mailto exclaimed sarcastically, "I'm not in it as much, cause I'm too busy doing the job that you've ignored to do."

With an undignified "Hmph," Smellerbee shot skeptical and self righteous stares at both Azula and Mailto. "Well….this doesn't even look like work to me. In fact, it looks like a date. Is Zuko buying?"

"Oh, that's right!" Mailto exclaimed. "If memory serves me, when you use to ask me out, you planed on paying the bill yourself like men usually do. I should have noticed that as foreshadowing."

Suddenly, Azula burst out laughing. It was an uproarious, snorting, uncontrollable laughter that made her shake and slam her fist on the table. Suddenly, noticing that she was drawing attention, she held a fist up to her mouth as she tried to conceal her laughs, which were now turning into coughs of hilarity. "Wait wait wait!" Azula proclaimed repeatedly. "You two use to _date?" _She asked surprised and humored at the very thought of it.

"I hardly was ever that desperate," Mailto clarified with a serious tone.

She gave Azula a somewhat annoyed sigh as she leaned over to Azula in a haughty manner. With a smug tone, she whispered. "And besides that, I'm a ten times better lover, than the slut that he's with now."

Azula's eyes widened in this revelation. She had no clue that Mailto was with someone. She was angry. She was shocked. But most of all, she was inquisitive. She wanted to know more about his mystery lover that Mailto was with now. She wanted to know every detail. But she couldn't do it with an arrogant presence right beside her, hogging up all the well deserved attention from Mailto. Azula picked up Smellerbee's apple that was on her tray.

"Why don't you do us a favor?" Azula told Smellerbee as she threw the apple all the way to a table that was three tables away. "Why don't you let us be, and move all the way over there? Mailto and I have some speaking to do."

With an exasperated sigh, she picked up her tray and began to lift herself off her seat. Before leaving, Smellerbee leaned into towards Mailto, shielded her mouth away from Azula, and whispered some crucial advice to the puzzled doctor. "Be careful with this one Mailto. _She's not faking it."_

Picking up on every word whispered Azula retorted. "You know, the funny thing is, _neither is he."_

While shaking her head, and blowing off steam, she strutted herself over to the table where her apple laid. A wise choice. Many a few who even dared to not obey a command by Azula were never heard from again. And speaking of the girl, Azula began to look down on her food, and paw her way through it in a depressing manner. Finally gaining the courage to look at Mailto, she asked the question that started to bug her.

"So you are seeing someone?" she asked in a way an ex-girlfriend would.

"Yes." Mailto spat back quickly and without emotion. "In fact, I'm engaged.

"Really?" Azula proclaimed with raised brows. "What's his name?"

Mailto's face broke in disgust and anger.

"Only kidding!" Azula playfully shouted with a laugh. "Spirits, all the doctors in this asylum can't seem to take a joke. But you do have to admit Mailto; that blonde hair isn't hiding anything."

"I actually like my blond hair, thank you very much." Mailto droned out with a serious tone.

Azula chuckled a little bit as she began to eat into her dessert; egg custard tarts. She smiled as the rich and delicious dessert felt like an orgasm in her mouth. But even the delightful treat couldn't distract her mind from what she now knew. She wanted to stop asking questions, but she couldn't control herself not to. It was an impulse; an urg to know who Mailto was with.

"In all seriousness, who's your girl?" she asked.

"Her name is Tera." Mailto stated.

"Charming name," Azula replied in a dry tone. "What does she do for a living?"

"Right now, she works down in the market as a pastry maker. But, in her spare time, she actually is a very good artist."

"Does she paint or sculpt?" Azula asked kindly.

"Paints." Mailto retorted.

"Any good?" Azula asked, inquiring on Tera's skills as an artist.

"She's a beautiful painter." Mailto sighed in happiness. "Some of the most wonderful paintings I've ever seen. In fact, we have some of them on display in our hose.'

She tried holding herself back. But that question just wouldn't go away. Ever since she heard about this "Tera," there was one question on her mind. She had to know. If she did, there might be a kink in this scheme,(or what appeared to be a scheme in her mind,) and she'd be able to still claim to Mailto.

"Do you love her?" she asked in a sad tone.

"Well, I am marrying her." Mailto described.

"But that's beside the point." Azula exclaimed. "I mean my mother and father were once in love; look at how that turned out. What I really want to know, is do you truly, intently, love this woman?"

Mailto was completely unprepared for the question. He was left with a nervous and unsettling feeling brewing in his stomach. And with the way Azula asked it, adding much emphasis and emotion to it, it left Mailto speechless. "I…I…I…." Mailto stuttered.

With clenched teeth, and a sardonic voice, she said, "That seems to me like a lot of hesitation for a 'yes or no' answer.

Mailtio realized that he had to end this conversation soon; otherwise, he'd be a sitting duck. A nervous sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck. Trying to find a way out, he used on old gag that many couples going through a relationship would state to their friends when asked that question alone with a friend. "Maybe it's not that simple."

"Of course it is," Azula growled; anger present in her voice. Mailto was shocked with the stern and grim glare behind Azula's eyes. And with the most serious voice possible, she gave her biggest piece of advice to the doctor.

"It's very simple." Azula exclaimed. "If you want something….._you take it…_by force if necessary."

"That's not love," Mailto proclaimed with a disappointed sigh. He honestly thought that Azula would be a little bit smarter when it came to matters such as this.

"Define your terms." Azula stated with a devious and nostalgic look in her eyes as she picked up an apple. She toyed with the fruit in her hands as she spoke to the doctor. "You obviously love your job, and I bet you had to take that by force."

"But that's a completely different kind of love," Mailto replied.

"It doesn't matter," Azula quickly retorted. "Love is still love, and when feelings such as lust get in the mix, anything is fair game." Azula smiled deviously as she looked at the apple. She shot her eyes back in forth towards the apple in her hand, and the doctor, who's left eye brow was raised in a confused manner.

"You see Mailto," Azula proclaimed. "Life is full of temptation." And then Azula bit down on the apple; taking in a giant chunk in her mouth. The juices shot everywhere along her face; some landing just above her breast. She chewed the apple as she looked all over the mess she made along her body. Once she swallowed the piece in her mouth, she took a finger and wiped off the juices from her face. In the same seductive manner earlier, she drew that finger in and out of her mouth, tasting the strange mixture of skin and apple. When she popped the finger back out, she looked back at the now wide eyed doctor.

"Wanna bite?" Azula asked in her most seductive and luscious voice possible, as she wiggled the apple in her hand.

With a one note laugh, Mailto replied with a dry voice, "As tempting as that sounds, Azula. No. your brother doesn't allow it."

With a chuckle, Azula proclaimed, "My brother can be so stern sometimes."

* * *

**I really like how this chapter turned out. I also loved the chemistry between Azula and Mailto. Review if you really liked Azula in this chapter, more than the chapters before it. If not, please still review and explain why.**

**I really like the smellerbee cameo as well. I kind of enjoyed the character when she was around. Kind of wish she got more of a reprising role. **

**Anyways, updates may be short. Please review as much as possible. Share with all your friends. **

**I kind of feel that this story isn't getting much attention. So here's an idea. If you can get me 20 reviews within this week, I'll post a new chapter the next. If not, I'll still try to post the newest chapter as soon as possible. You fans are truly the greatest. Espically to my big three.**

**Thomas Drovin. *shout out to my Azula and Dark Knight homie! Lol."**

**LifeTimesWorth. *JetZula FOREVA! And I could have used them in this story. But Mailto has always been a character that has been stuck with me. Basically because, I never seen anyone in the avatar universe with blonde hair.**

**Dragontastic. *For some reason, that Screen name sounds like a really exotic fruit. I mean, its like, "Try Dragontasic. It's thirst quenching. It's the quenchiest!"***

**And before I end this story, I have a movie that I really suggest you see. It's a foreign film called, "Dogtooth," and it just got nominated by the academy for best foreign film. It's basically, besides, "Eraserhead," and "A clockwork Orange,"…the most disturbing thing I've ever seen. But to me, and I don't know why, I like to picture it as if Ozia snapped and made it so Zuko and Azula would never leave the palace and see the outside world. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. an artistic merit

**Hello everybody. I am extremely sorry for the long update. I had a lot of things on my plate these past few months. Firstly, I had an Agriculture speech contest that I had to participate in for my school's FFA chapter. I received 1****st**** place in chapter division, and 4****th**** place and district division. Then, I had millions of other Fan Fiction stories that needed to be updated. After that, my family and I flew down to Florida to audition for acting talent agencies who were looking for some new faces. I had two companies who were really interested in having me sign with them, and they called me back. One agency is based out in California; the other is in New York. We haven't sign with anyone yet due to legalities and fine reading, but as soon as we do, I'll officially have an agent. **

**Now, that the dust has settled, and everything extreme has died down, I have time to type out the newest chapter of "Method to the Madness." So, without further ado, here it is.**

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Mailto was breathing heavily outside the door. His heart would not stop racing. His nerves were ramming themselves inside his hands, causing his fingers to twitch erratically, and his palms to sweat. He was completely overwrought with worriment and fear. He could barely stand upright. When he first received the orders from Zuko, he thought it was nothing more than just a cruel joke; payback for what he did to the Firelord's sister long ago. Now, he realized, it was not a joke, but it was still payback.

Tomorrow night, was his and Tera's wedding night. And while he was filled with happiness about the fact he was marrying someone that he truly cared for, he almost wanted to back out immediately when Zuko gave him the new orders today. It was an order that figuratively destroyed everything he knew about the universe. It shook him to his core, and made him pale immediately.

Mailto had to tell _Azula_, that treatment was over, and he was marrying Tera.

_Holy shit._

Mailto pulled his hand off the door, turned around, and placed his hands on his knees as he thought he was for sure, going to vomit. The tension was unbearable. This was something that the doctor defiantly did not want to do. Usually, when he was done treating a patient, whether the outcome was good or bad, it ended with a handshake and solemn goodbyes. He, by and large, never had to tell that patient he was getting married, nor was that patient an evil, crazy, women he had a one night stand with. How would Azula react? He knew that she would not be amused by the news. She might even kill him on the spot! He was utterly frightened.

But, he had to face up to the fact, that Zuko gave this crazy command, and orders are orders. Besides, Azula would eventually find out through word of mouth that he got married to Tera. His mentality, along with Zuko's, Aang's, Sokka's and the rest of the gang's mentality on the situation, was that it was better to tell her now and get it over with; do it immediately. It's just like pulling out a thorn.

So, rising to his feet, his chest swelled with pride. His fear was replaced not by bravery, but by faith; faith that no matter what happens, he will not be harmed; (although his faith was filled with doubts). He gripped the key tightly, and turned it. Immediately afterwards, he pushed the door and it swung open violently.

Then, he stared into the room; eyes widen with amazement and confusion.

He knew that Tuesdays were usually her art days, and he knew that she had somewhat of a hobby, but he had no clue that she was this talented; nor that she was this fascinated by painting. She stood behind a giant canvass. The only thing that showed above the canvass was her daunting, horrifying amber eyes, which contain a tremendous amount of focus as she stared into the abyss that was her art. She only looked up for a brief second to acknowledge that Mailto entered the room. She gave a quick smile, (which was very _very _rare), and then in a split second, she was back to her painting.

Mailto was awestruck by the how well she could paint. She was gifted! Behind her were two wonderfully, masterfully, crafted paintings of two tribal Waterbenders. One was a male warrior holding a boomerang, and the other was a very beautiful woman using a water whip striking someone off canvass. As Mailto studied the paintings, he had his mouth gaped open in awe. Then, his mouth clamped shut in fear as he noticed something very eerie and creepy.

The two paintings looked _exactly _like Katarra and Sokka.

Noticing that there seemed to be a period of lengthy silence, Mailto decided it was best to speak up. Coughing to grab Azula's attention, he began to speak when her eyes darted at him in a critique manner.

"Well, it looks like the creativity is flowing today." Mailto stated cheerily.

"Yeah," Azula replied in a monotone; her attention was more focused on her painting, and not on the quality and quantity of her voice. Then, she pointed to the two portraits behind her, "I just finished doing a painstakingly portrait of two water tribe members."

Mailto suddenly felt as if he had to point out the obvious. The disturbing atmosphere created by the two paintings left him feeling awkward and uneasy. "Um…..they look _a lot _like Katarra and Sokka."

Suddenly, Azula got a strange look in her eyes. It was almost as if she were confused by Mailto's statement. She placed the brush on the canvass board, and turned around to study the paintings in an intense manner. It seemed as if though, she had no idea that the paintings looked so familiar. She analyzed them like a student of meditation analyzes their instructor; with a sense of awe, and curiosity.

Then turning around, she shrugged her shoulders. "Coincidence," Azula decided immediately with a faint sense of humor and a smile. Then as her attention focused back on the painting, a sense of anxiety seemed to project itself in her work manner-like voice. She spoke fast and her words contained ice-piercing syllables. "I'm running out of supplies though," she stated as the brush furiously went along the canvass. Then, looking directly at Mailto, she said intensely, "I need more paint." Then she waved her hand off to the side as if she was direct Mailto to achieve her task like a butler.

Somewhat offended by the manner in which Azula asked for paint, Mailto replied with calm and soothing, yet offended tone, "I don't think the hospital has enough room in their budget for that. Not with these cut backs."

"Hmh," Azula hummed in agreement. "It's becoming a trend. Food's getting worst too." Azula acknowledged with no emotion in her voice; all attention was pointed directly at her canvass. Then, she asked out of curiosity, "Just how bad is the finical situation at Republic city hospital?"

"Well, it's not good." Mailto responded with a sense of dismay and depression in his voice. "For starters, the cost for caring for each individual patient isn't cheap; to say the least. Also, you got to admit that your presence here has caused some of our investors to run away in terror."

"I tend to do that to people," Azula replied with a wide smile of pride.

"Add that to the fact that your brother has had a strong grip on our mental-healing practices," Mailto continued, "It's best to say that things _are not _going well." Then, letting out one last sigh of Anxiety, he broke the first part of the news to Azula in a calm voice. "But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Our sessions are over."

"Leaving again," she asked sardonically as she poked her head out of the side of the canvass. Well her voice and facial features were sarcastic; on the inside, she was saddened by the thought of Mailto leaving.

"I'm not leaving, you're leaving." Mailto said with a commanding tone. "Congrats Azula, your therapy is over."

"Hmmm, Excellent," Azula replied with a creepy snake like voice. Then, with sarcastic excitement, she asked giddily, "Did I get the grant prize?"

Only stopping for a moment to chuckle, Mailto said, "Unfortunately no. but, on the bright side, you're not going to die either. Zuko has declared you a minim threat and has order you to be banished."

"Wow," Azula stated surprised and shocked. She almost seemed dissapointed. "Zuzu didn't have it in his heart to kill me? That's so…..predictable." She finished her sentence with a disgusted and disappointed voice. Then, going back to her painting, she began one of her rants as she was most known for in the asylum. "What's worst, is the fact that he only deemed me a 'minimum threat.' Damn it! I'd thought I'd scare him a lot more. But, do you want to know what the real problem is? Zuzu, Mai, you, Aang, Katarra, Sokka, they all think that they know what's best for my mental state. But they all assumed wrongly, from the begging when I was first admitted here, that I was a monster."

Then, looking Mailto straight in the eyes, with a warm yet chilling smile she stated, "I'm _not _a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."

Feeling chills travel down his spine, Mailto felt that it was best to switch the topic before the horrific atmosphere in the room consumed him. Noticing that she was working very powerfully and intently on her painting, he decided to strike up a conversation based on that topic. "It seems as if though you have a passion," Mailto exclaimed. "I never knew you had such talent."

"I'm not much of an art lover," she replied while absorbedly studying her brush strokes. "But I do have a favorite artist." Her eyes began to dash back and forth, as they tended to do when she was trying to remember a memory from her childhood. Sadly, and horrifically, her child hood memory was fading. "There was this guy; I believe his name was Tentai Lee. And he used to do all of our family portraits. He was _magnificent. _I mean, it only took him like five minutes to just get a rough draft that looked palace worthy. But of course, my father was such a critic. He always had something to complain about on Tentai's paintings. So, one day, out of frustration, Tentai went home in tears after my father mocked one of his paintings publicly. He locked himself in his own bathroom, and cut off both of his ears, so that he may never hear another critique again."

Silence enveloped the room. Dread seized Mailto and held him tightly in its grasp. Azula, however, was strangely cheerful. "I liked his paintings." She beamed.

"…because he was a good artist?" Mailto asked, hoping that was the real reason she like his work.

"Nope; it's because he cut off both of his ears. _Now that's real art!" _she replied with a frightening laugh that scared the poor doctor Mailto. He squirmed out of anxiety. It was really awkward just to be standing in the doorway. What's more, was he got the strange sense that Azula was paying more attention to him that the actual painting. For, at that moment, Azula's eyes began darting back and forth between the painting and him franticly.

Then, she did something that Mailto believed was impossible; unless the apocalypse was at hand. Laying the brush down, she asked in a nervous tone, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Uh…..sure." Maitlo replied uneasy; not entirely sure what he got himself into.

"You see," Azula began to explain herself. "I've been working on this painting all day. It has a guy and a girl in it-and don't worry. There's nothing graphic. But I can't seem to get the facial features right." Then, starting to shift out of either anxiety, or her mental illness, she asked warily, "Would you mind if I asked if I could use your facial features."

"You want to paint me." Mailto recognized more out of surprise than actual acknowledgement.

"Yes, Please have a seat," Azula politely asked as she pushed a stool forward for Mailto to sit on.

This gave Mailto the shakes. He was told to come in here to inform Azula of his and Tera's marriage. He wanted to do it quickly as possible. But now, she was asking him for help; politely! It was so out of character, it was creepy. But, wanting to get it over with, Mailto decided it was best to proceed. But he did so with caution as he walked forward to the stool. "I'm not so sure I'm entirely comfortable with this though." He made known.

"Don't worry dear." she stated. Then with an evil smile, she told him, "It's not a nude study…yet." Then she winked seductively at him.

With color rising to his cheeks, he stated with the heart and passion of a thousand burning suns, "That is not going to happen. Not in a billion years."

She chuckled for a moment at Mailto's zeal. Then she replied with nostalgia, "Besides, if I was doing a nude photograph, I wouldn't need you naked. I have an excellent memory when it comes to you and your di-"

"-Please, let's not talk about the night we shall not mention," Mailto interrupted.

With a dignified, "Hmph," she went back to her portrait. She stared at Maitlo's face for a long time; getting the curves, shadows, and barley noticeable blemishes on his face. Then, she began to go off on another rant. This time however, it was much more thought provoking than the last one.

"You see Mailto," She began. "Art is all about getting an emotional response. Take the work of Tentai Lee, for example. When some of my dad's followers; who, by the way, traveled half way across the world, saw the paintings, there were multiple emotion reactions. Some got all wide eyed, excited, and began to point. Some, like my father, began to criticize and study it. And some nut jobs, they began crying." Then, smiling mischievously, she told him a deep dark long secrete. "I really wanted to steal those paintings and do something wretched with them. I mean, could you imagine if one day, I got a hold of one of those paintings, cut out the eyes for eye holes, and wore it like a mask? Well then, you'd have hundreds pointing, many critiquing and millions crying! And that would be a much better response than just hanging it off a balcony. And besides, we were masks all the time; to cover up our faults and to appear normal and civilized. What a bunch of air bison shit. Art! Art frees people." Then, with dark playful intent in her eyes, she said, "Besides, you can't spell 'an artist,' without 'anarchist.'"

"Umm… I'm pretty sure you can," Mailto replied; slightly disturbed by her rant. The talking, while it gave him the creeps, also added a new insight on Azula. Maybe all she wanted was attention. After Mailto spoke up, she looked back at him with an all knowing glare. It was if her eyes were saying, _'I know that's not how it's spelt, but I enjoy saying it that way.'_

Being the professional doctor, Mailto decided to give Azula one last piece of helpful advice. "Not everybody hides who they are," Mailto proclaimed.

It was Azula's decision to take it or leave it. Unfortunately she did the latter. With a gasp of air, and a slight chuckle, she said, "Oh, yes they do. You'll find out soon enough. After all, that's how most of these relationships start. You don't realize the faults, until you're stuck with them." Then, a strange glimmer sparkled in her eyes. She turned to Mailto and spoke with a reassuring tone. "At least with me, what you see is what you get. I don't hide behind walls, or masks. Those are the tools of the cowardly. I show my true self, everyday; through both my actions, and my art."

Then, suddenly, a switch was flipped in Mailto's head. Something clicked randomly during the conversation of hiding emotions. He was looking for an adequate segway for him admitting the news to Azula. Now, the time was before him to act. It was either now or never.

Bravery filled his chest, and with a voice filled with sarcasm and pride, he stated, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Hmmm?" Azula hummed; interestingly curious as to what Mailto meant by this turn of phrase.

While there was some fear present within him (as his squirming shown), he was able to fight through the hesitation, and he began to tell Azula the news. "Well, the other day, I took your advice. 'If you want something, you take it; by force if necessary.'"

Azula smiled in both nostalgia and smugness. It was an exhilarating feeling to know that Mailto took advice from her. It was assumingly impossible for this to happen, and the impossible, now just became possible.

"So, I and Tera just set a date for the wedding."

Suddenly, and abruptly, she stopped painting. Her eyes widen, as if she was now on some strange planet, and was studying her surroundings. She looked like a deer in headlights, and Mailto was utterly confused by how Azula was acting. Her face was scrunching up, bit by bit at a time. He heard the audible sounds of sniffling coming from her and….._oh spirits, _he thought with distraught and puzzlement. _Are those…..tears in her eyes?'_

If Mailto could see inside Azula's heart, he would be able to tell that her heart was breaking. She was aching in emotional pain. Her mind was reeling it the information that Mailto just told her. The words 'Terra' and 'wedding' played in her head over and over until she thought she was going to snap. Fortunatly for Mailto, she didn't. But that still did not take away from the fact that Azula was clearly heartbroken.

"Are you crying?" the doctor asked in amazement as he could see the water welling up in her eyelids.

Suddenly, she was back in her own body, and realized where she was at in the space time continuum. Shaking her head, she stated, though not so assuring, "No. I'm fine." Afterwards, she continued her painting, though not as intense as earlier. Her mind was now more focused on other things, and much to her displeasure, she couldn't stop it. The bad feelings of sorrow and low self opinion began to inflict itself upon her. The only way she could stop the pain, without crying, was through communication. And it was an idea that sickened her. She did not want to follow the orders of therapist to 'let it all out.'

Unfortunately, however, she did. And it was through the form of questioning.

"Am I invited to the wedding?" She asked politely and inquisitively after sometime had passed.

This struck Mailto as awkward. He knew that she had somewhat of an obsession with him, so he wasn't quite sure how to handle the question. It was a double edged sword. If he said something that brought her displeasure, she might take out those distasteful feeling upon him; violently, considering her admittance to the hospital in the first place. On the other hand, if he left the question more open for the debate, she could place in room for interpretation. So, his only response was that of, "Uh…"

"I do love wedding cake," She beamed, hoping that he'd allow her to join.

"….It's….going to be a small ceremony." Mailto stated, hoping that would end this discussion. He was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Well….uh…I could be…uh….Terra's maid of honor!" she cheeringly and happily proclaimed.

"Well, Terra's sister is going to be the maid of honor." Mailto replied, this time with a hint of anger. He was about to crack. This constant questioning was beginning to become intrusive.

Leaning in for the kill, Azula asked rudely, "Where are you two going for your honeymoon?"

Finally, Mailto's anger got the best of him. The doctor spat back, loudly, "You know, this has officially gone pasted the subject of art!" he almost shouted. "You're lucky you even have me for one last vis-"

"And we're finished," Azula stated as she laid down the wet paint brush to the side of her. She dared not showed the painting top Mailto yet, wanting to see his reaction when she revealed the surprise. She gripped the two sides of the canvass tightly; eager to present her work. She peaked her head out from the side of the canvass and asked mockingly, "you want to get a glimpse of this master piece?"

"Let me guess, my true self?" Mailto replied just as sardonically. He tried guessing what exactly she had created, and knowing that the picture contained him somewhere in it, it was a reasonable estimation.

Azula's face twisted itself for some second into deep thought. It was as if she was literally contemplating what Mailto had just jokingly told her. But, it was only after a few seconds, that Azula's face became darkly, yet peacefully smug, and her brows lowered themselves in a seductive manner as she glared at the doctor. "Well, maybe not your true self. But It's how I see you." She said warmly.

Her heart race as she began to turn the painting around.

But before the doctor could even catch a glimpse of what Azula had created, the door behind them opened. They both turned their heads at the sound of the hinges swinging open with a creek. Standing the doorway, with his hand on the knob, was a very tall, very dark asylum guard. He looked into the room, with a mystified look on his face. For the way and position that Azula and Mailto were set up, was truly something out of the ordinary.

Then, he spoke. "Doctor Mailto," he proclaimed. "Tera's here to visit you."

"Oh, I forgot," Mailto begrudgingly exclaimed to himself under his breath as he rose from his seat. "The wedding rings."

Azula's face was now that of a lost puppy. Her eyes widen in bewilderment, and sadness. Her mouth was gaped open in somewhat of a surprise. Her heart was still racing, but it was more out of fear than happiness; the fear that Mailto was going to leave before getting a glimpse at her painting. With all her might, she tried to turn the painting around as fast as she could. But, to her dismay, the canvass was stuck to the wood stand. And no matter how hard she pulled on it, the canvass wouldn't turn.

Also, no matter how much whining, and whimpering she did to get the doctor's attention, he never once turned back to look at her. He walked out the door, back facing her, and replied without even the lightest form of interest in Azula's matters, "I'm going to have to go over some last minute plans, so we'll have to cut this session short. But keep up with the painting."

And with that, the door closed.

And with that, Azula's heart finally split in two.

And with that, the painting fell on to the floor, as Azula tumbled over it.

And with that, she did the one thing that she thought she'd never do again, after she was sentenced to the republic city mental care facility.

She cried.

She cried for hours upon hours, and no one heard her scream in agony. The walls inside her cell were completely sound proof; much to her dismay. She cried until her body felt drained of energy. She cried until it hurt to do so. She wanted him to come back. She wanted him in her arms. He didn't even get to see the 'surprise.'

'What is this surprise?' you may ask. Well, my fellow readers, the painting, of the boy and girl, just so happen to have Mailto as the boy. But the girl, the girl in the photo, was something of a huge piece of importance. For, the girl was Azula. Azula and Mailto were in the picture she painted.

And what were the boy and girl doing? They were kissing; tongues passionately meeting each other in a warm embrace.

The painting was of her and the doctor kissing; her biggest fantasy.

But now, the walls of the fantasy were torn and demolished. She was going to leave tomorrow, and the doctor was getting married. There was nothing she could do about it; or so she thought at the moment. For, after she cried out of sadness, and newer and stronger emotion arouse in her heart; anger. It caused her hands to shake, and her brows to furrow. Her mind was now setting in forth, a plan; a plan that she was going to carry out; a plan that she meant on following.

And no one was going to stop it. For if they did, they were surly going to die.

While on top of the painting, she leaned forward and kissed the painted doctor; the wet paint coming off on her lips, making them almost a peachy-gold color.

"I will not lose you," she stated in a low, grumble of rage.

No one was going to get in her way.

* * *

**Uh-ho.**

**This doesn't look good for the doctor. **

**Anyways, I'm super sorry for the update. I had many things going on and not enough time to do them all. I really hope you have enjoyed this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW! Oh, and I also have a gift for all my faithful readers on my YouTube profile. (The link is on my author's page). I do this thing called a one man band, where I play all the instruments to a song, and synch the audio together so it sounds like the song I was playing. The newest video on my profile is my performing the alternative rock sensation, "WHERE IS MY MIND?" by the greatest band of all, "The Pixies." I can assure you, that you'll absolutely love it.**

**PLEASE VIEW THE VIDEO, AND PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU CAN! If not, send me a PM as soon as you see it.**

**With many humble regards,**

**Welocmetofightclub.**

**Peace out. **


	9. a game of cards

**Hello everybody. I'm finally back. Updates for all my stories usually take a while, so this rotation was pretty normal. I apologize for the long wait. However, after this chapter, I'll be able to knock out one of my other stories and finish it, and then I'll only have 2 stories on this sight that need to have new chapters added. Unfortunately, the writing juices are getting in the way and I am really tempted to start another story. But I'm going to try to keep myself under control, and instead, give you the newest and most exciting chapter of **_**a method to the madness. **_

**Here it is.**

* * *

Zuko was taking no chances in transporting his sister.

The guards came to her cell forty minutes earlier than what was scheduled, causing Azula to react towards them with violence and disgust. Luckily, the guards were able to subdue her and drag her out of the mental hospital, without causing commotion or disturbing the peace. Her face was covered so the press wouldn't be able to obtain a sighting, or glance, so no stories would be published. The ship that would be transporting her was 2 times larger than any prisoner transport ship, and its foundation was reinforced with a type of steel and iron that no fireball could penetrate. What's more, was the fact that the ship's captain was none other than Firelord Zuko himself. He trusted no one with the responsibility of guiding the ship that was transporting his incredibly unstable sister, but the crew he hired, and himself. And while all these orders and instructions revolving around Azula's banishment could be considered paranoid, most people would agree that due to Azula's history of violent and destructive behavior, all that Zuko was doing, was indeed for the best.

But Sokka thought that Zuko was going overboard with this next order.

"So let me get this straight," Sokka proclaimed, as he was about to go off on one of his infamous rants. "You want me and Suki, to go with you on the ship, which, might I add, is inhabited by the most craziest person alive, and STAY IN THE ROOM, WITH SAID CRAZY PERSON, AND WATCH OVER HER!"

Zuko sighed as he gave himself a well deserved face-palm. Even after explaining the plan to him a thousand times, Sokka still didn't understand the importance of his presence in Azula's cell. They stood outside the ship's loading bay, as the single prisoner herself was being brought on board. She was completely sedated so her feet dragged along the plank. Her face was covered with a burlap sack, and two big guards carried her up the wooden plank, one of their arms under one of her arms. It was a very hot day out, with the temperatures rising every second. Republic city was known for having brutal summers, but the heat that came upon the city today was unbearable. Both Zuko and Sokka were hotter than two hog monkeys wrestling in a wool sack. They were completely drenched in sweat. It was a shame that Zuko's didn't think at the time to relocate their conversation on to the cool, steel, ship.

"I told you," Zuko began, groaning in annoyance. "I think you and Suki would be perfect for the job. You both are excellent warriors with great passion, and I need someone to watch over her to make sure she doesn't escape. More security equals better safety."

"Better Safety my ass!" Sokka complained. "You're placing me and my wife in the lion's den."

"You can handle it," Zuko assured him. "And besides we have taken every single precaution needed to avoid disasters. She's in handcuffs,"

"Which she has been known to escape from," Sokka grumbled.

"She is away from all sources of heat," Zuko added. "The lighting is supplied by multiple windows surrounding the ship."

"Good," Sokka supplied sarcastically. "Multiple windows for multiple opportunities to escape. Oh, and by the way, She doesn't need fucking heat to kill us. Does the word 'knife' ring any bells?"

"What in Agni-ki's name is you're problem?" Zuko proclaimed with much anger. Sokka's speech was drowning itself in a sardonic tone, and it was getting to the fire lord's nerves.

"You're putting me and my wife in danger." Sokka stated clearly, enunciating every syllable, as he stressed the urgency of the situation. Real anger isn't explosive or disruptive. Real anger is quiet, literate, and deadly. "We can't risk placing ourselves near Azula, that lady's dynamite. Why couldn't you get Aang and my sister in there?"

"Because they have to watch over my wife while she is has the throne during our mission." Zuko explained.

When he told Mai that she would become supreme leader of the fire nation, it almost seemed like she would detonate with exhilaration. Of course, she replied with her usual monotone, but nothing could hide that glimmer in her eyes. Then, Zuko told her that the council had decided that while she was in charge, Aang and Katarra would watch over her. It seemed as if the room was flooded with anger. She proceeded to go on a tirade about the damned old bastards, and about women equality, and about the biases of the world leaders. Zuko completely agreed with her. He thought it was downright repulsing that the council believed a woman couldn't run a country by herself.

However, there was one universal fact that caused Zuko to agree with the men. Three pairs of eyes are better than one. Zuko knew of the pressures that being Firelord brought upon. He also knew that if Mai had to handle these pressures all alone for the entirety of Azula's transport, she would end up being a giant stress ball when he returned. With Aang and Katarra by her side, Mai would have it a lot easier than Zuko had it for the past 10 years as firelord. Hell, the more Zuko thought about, he seemed somewhat Jealous of his wife's position.

It was hard to convince Aang to agree with the council as well. The airbender describe to Zuko in vivid detail that the Avatar handles, "worldly," problems, not "political" ones. The Avatar could not be brought down into the political machine. The Avatar had to remain pure and spiritual. But, Zuko counteracted with this. If Azula were not to be transported soon, _that _would become a worldly problem. Aang most defiantly agreed, and decided that if it were to benefit his best friend, and the world on somewhat of a level, he'll join Mai.

Suddenly, as Zuko and Sokka waited outside the ship, a curious thought appeared in his mind.

"You don't want the danger, but yet you're okay with having your sister in harm's way?" Zuko asked curiously.

Sokka's face immediately broke into hysterics, as he shouted and pointed at the Firelord. "Ha! You see, you just admitted that there was danger involved."

"I didn't say-" Zuko tried to retort, before he caught himself, and placed his hand on his hair. He dragged it down and tugged on the strains of hair in annoyance. He breathed heavily and looked Sokka straight in the eyes. Bringing his hands down in front of him, together, in a Zen like state, Zuko began to speak.

"Look," He said powerfully, yet in a calm voice. "I need two people to guard my sister. And I don't want some corruptible guards that I can't trust. I want someone who I've known literally, all my life, and that person needs to be very gifted and powerful in their skills and assessments. If they weren't tied up at the moment, I would have picked Aang and Katarra, But Sokka, you can do this. I have no doubt in my mind that you and Suki are perfect for the job. It should only be a three day trip, and I assure you, with all my heart, that you will be fine."

Sokka raised one brown as he crossed his arms. The water-tribe warrior was skeptical, to say the least. But as he thought about it, though he was very doubtful and nervous, he seemed to trust Zuko more and more with every passing minute. Finally, letting out a cross between a groan and a sigh, Sokka proclaimed. "All right, I'll do it." He passed Zuko and made his way up the wooden ramp. Azula was now sedated and currently on-board the ship, so Sokka's strides seemed to be filled with confidence, since he didn't fear a crazed female maniac would be running out of the ship with lightning eradiating from her fingertips.

"But make no mistake," Sokka proclaimed as he looked down on the firelord, who was making his way up the plank as well. "You owe me…..something….I'm not sure what, but you owe me."

Zuko smirked. "I'll buy you and your wife lunch sometime, how about that?"

"Lunch my ass," Sokka exclaimed with a smile. "With the danger I'm putting myself through, you better buy us breakfast, lunch and dinner."

* * *

He awoke with a stirring in his groin.

She was literally crawling all over him. She was planting kisses from his head down to his feet. She was worshiping him, biting him, licking him, but most of all, she was pleasing him. He could feel her hot breath against that sweat spot on his neck. His thoughts were swimming satisfyingly.

So far, it had been a good day. Suki and Sokka had stayed within Azula's cell on the ship, and Azula didn't seem to attack. She was pumped with so much sedatives from puffer frogs that she reminded the couple of a wet noodle. She sat in the corner of her cell, all day, as the boat swayed back and forth, and didn't make one sound, not even a peep. It frightened Sokka on some level. Azula was genuinely not this quiet, and he had the suspicion that she was planning something. But every time throughout the day, when he would pull off her burlap sack to revel her face, she was completely out of it. There was not one hint of mischief or evil on her face; just the blank stare of a completely whacked out mental patient, deep within her drug filled subconscious. The only time she cause a stir, was when she fell over not too long ago, and was proceeding to become sick. Suki lead her to the toilet so she could proceed to be sick elsewhere. It took a while, so Sokka took a nap.

When he awoke, he realized that it had only been a good day. Now, it was going to become a GREAT day. It had been so long since he felt her touch that he sometimes wondered if he was even touched by her in the first place. It had been a while since that had intercourse and Sokka could honestly not recall the last time Suki and him were this passionate in their love making. Now, that touch and passion had reappeared almost instantly, and Sokka was addicted.

He grew a wide smirk when he realized what attire Suki decided to wear for the occasion. It was her Kioshi warrior's outfit, complete with make-up. He remembered doing it with her like this at least two time before, and it was strange, and kinky, but never this insanely good. _Well, _he thought slyly. _Third times the charm._

"Oh, Suki. You naughty girl." He moaned as she began to ride his thigh. Nothing could distract them from this magnificently good moment.

Except for Azula.

She was in hysterics. She moaned and groaned without reserve to the point that she was making Suki look subtle. She shook her head and rattle about like an epileptic. Sokka tried his best to ignore the sounds she was making, but, it annoyed him that his duties required to check on the woman, instead of checking out _his _woman. With a bitter taste in his mouth, he pushed his wife to the side as she began to stretch out on the bed. He walked over to the girl with the sack covering her face.

"Ah, spirits, you intolerable girl." Sokka mumbled as he got closer and closer. He reached forward and pulled off the sack. "All right Azula….what seems to be your…..problem."

And with that, his heart stopped beating, and the room chilled itself with fear and dread.

He automatically recognized his wife when the sack was taken off. Her eyes were widen with fear, turmoil, and panic; as so were Sokka's. Suki's mouth was gagged with some unknown material. She had a major black eye, a swollen lip with a giant gash and thousands more scrapes, bruises, and scratches on her face which showed her submission was not a light hearted one.

Sokka flipped out. He jumped up as if though he were electrocuted. Fear pulsed through his system quickly and erratically. And when he spoke, he almost screamed. "You're not Azula!" Sokka shouted the completely obvious. He turned to see the silhouette of the mystery girl that prowled around the bunk like a panther. "You're not Suki!"

"SURPRISE!" the make up wearing, trickster, and cunning Azula shouted with much devilish intent as she jumped forward and slammed Sokka's head fiercely into the cell bars. A dreadful ring echoed throughout the cell. Immediately, Sokka's world went back.

* * *

The second time Sokka awoke, he was greeted with a horrible headache. He discovered that he was tied to a chair, and was brought into another cell that was not Azula's. In front of him, was a rather large table, crafted from wood and natural glue. It seemed very formal, which brought Sokka great fear. For, the person seated in front of him, across the table, was one of the least formal, craziest, and off the walls people he knew. He wouldn't even consider her a person by any stretch of the imagination. She was a killer; a beast. She was the one that brought Sokka here, bound him to this table, gagged him, and left him beaten and tattered.

Azula sat across from Sokka, and held in her hand fifty foreign objects that Sokka wan't accustomed to. They were clearly made out of paper, but the pieces were so small, and thin; very _very _thin. The imprisoned Sokka cocked a brow as Azula looked down at the stack of papers, and rifled through them. Then, she looked up, and stared Sokka directly in the eyes.

She smirked, which sent chills down the water-warrior's spine. "Due to its increased popularity," Azula began with an effeminate and cold tone. "Pai Sho, has overshadowed many family favorite games. While Uncle Iroh and little Zu Zu played with their chips, I preferred cards any day." She began to fold the cards in an act that many card players called 'shuffling.' "To play the game, you hand out five cards to each player, and whoever has the best hand wins. Best hands are determined by the type of car, and the number of that card. If you have pairs, triples, quads, or five pairs of the same number or if you have the same type of card, but the numbers goes up numerically, you have the best hand. You have the best hand, you win." She shuffled the cards again. "But…..in order to be fair," she told Sokka with a notable disgust at the word 'fair.' "You must shuffle the deck 7 times. That way the order of the cards is completely random."

As soon as those words left her lips, she paused and stared at the cards for a very long time. A sense of tension and suspense filled the atmosphere, and the dread increased tenfold. Sokka's heart pounded in his chest, as he watched the crazy maniac stare deeply at the deck. After a few minutes, she finally looked up.

"It takes a lot of work to get things random," she commented as she shuffled the deck. "Kind of like life. You see, life is all about how we play the cards we've been dealt with. Because there's no such thing as band hands. Oh no." when she spoke these next few words, she gritted her teeth in anger, as if she knew someone of the sort. "Only bad players."

Then, she laughed in a one key octave, which was quick and loud. It alarmed Sokka, and snapped him back to attention. He was about to pass out once more. The painful head ache was becoming too much to bear.

"And _some _whacko's," she declared righteously, "Try to use cards to tell the future. I'm not a big fan of fortune tellers, Sokka. That idea alone is just too predictable. Besides, where's the fun in knowing what's going to happen next? Am I right?"

She leaned forwards on the table, and supported herself with her elbows. She got right next to Sokka's face. She spoke low and quite, but the raw emotion in her voice was unmistakable. Sokka needed to hear what she had to say, _or else._

"You see Sokka, life comes down to making a choice." She declared. She symbolized this by holding out her hands, and moving them up and down. "It's either one or the other. It's the fork in the throat-" Azula immediately caught her mistake, and winced in humiliation, as she shook her head back and forth dramatically, and exclaimed, "Road! I meant Road."

And then, when the dust settled, a new violent windstorm of knowledge brought the dust back up. She looked at Sokka, confidently, and stated, "Suki's the one with the fork to the throat."

Sokka's eyes widen. He felt as if time itself would stop and all the world would crumble. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He thought that his mind was pulling a dirty trick on him. The stress of his mission was enough to drive any sane man to the depths of insanity if the problems arose. But, Sokka was about to receive the biggest shock of his life.

"Who?" she asked sarcastically as a witty smile painted itself thickly on her face. She then got out of her chair, and went under the table. She rustled around there for quite some time, before she emerged from under the table, with a heavy weight in her hand. When she laid the heavy load on the table, the flop sound of death followed immediately afterwards.

Sokka screamed inside his gag in incredible emotional agony and turmoil. Suki's dead body now lay on top of the table. a giant metal fork was stuck in her throat, and while most of her blood was already drained from her body, she was still bleeding like a stuffed pig. Tears streamed down the warriors face, as he looked at Azula, who laid her feet on top of the table and leaned back in her chair.

This was the most comfortable position that Azula had created for herself in years. It's good to be queen; the queen of death.

"Now, do you think Suki, saw this fork in her cards?" Azula asked with a cocked brow.

Sokka shook violently in his chair. His arms were still bound behind him and the chains did nothing more but subdue him from attacking her, and rattle. Those chains were intimidating him. They were mocking his pain. The waterworks continued still, as Sokka wept for the end of beauty.

Azula chuckled a dark, maniacal chuckle, as she grabbed the cards and shuffled once more. "You See Sokka, it's not about finding out what card is yours, it's about what cards you're not. Otherwise, you can't make your move to win. Besides, each card has a meaning."

She took out one card at a time, and laid them in front of her, facing Sokka, and standing up. She showed him the 4 main cards, and in a creepy, yet ironic side note, the numbers spelled out 4479; Azula's prison identification number. As Sokka stared at the cards, Azula pointed to each one, and told of their significance and symbolism.

"Diamonds represent wealth," she began as she pointed at the card. She moved her hand. "Hearts show emotion." She moved her hand again. "Spades stand for intellect." Then she pointed to the last card, "and Clubs, well, that's to signify power." To add a little bit of her soul to her speech, she explained her thoughts on power by stating that clubs meant, "Over hitting people."

She placed the cards down flat on the table, and moved them over back to her deck. Sokka's breathing was now regulating. But that possibly was because he was now going into shock. The combination of pain and panic was not healthy, to say the least. His heart was about to explode.

Azula reached into the deck, and pulled out a card. It was the king of clubs. "So….Sokka, what are you. Are you the powerful Aang?" she looked at him curiously, and then shook her head, "no." and then tossed the card to the side. She grabbed another card. It was the King of diamonds. "Maybe you're the Zuko type? Right?" after a few moments of silence, she declared, "I guess not." She set the car alight. Half of it burnt off, but the other half remained intact. She showed Sokka another card. It was the Jack of hearts, "You're obviously not the charming and lovely Dr. Mailto," she spat as she tossed the card away. She then picked up a card, and her mouth gaped open in surprise. She gasped overdramatically as she showed Sokka the King of Spades. "I think you might be The Avatar." She stared at him seriously, as if she was expecting him to have an epiphany and accept his role as the new found master of all four elements.

After while, she began to stare at him with glaring eyes as her brows furrowed. "I guess not," she proclaimed with repulsion as she picked up a new card. It was the queen of clubs, "Toph?" she asked him. She tossed the card away before Sokka could decide. She brought forth another card; the queen of hearts. "Katarra? Hmm?" she asked bitterly. She incinerated that card in complete anger.

With each passing second, her anger got worst and worst. She brought forth another card, the queen of diamonds. "How about Mai!" Then, she slammed on the table. Her anger was now fully in control. Her voice shook with a powerfully fury that spirits would quake in turmoil over. Her insanity was in full bloom. Were wide eyes were dancing. "Of course, that's just a face card, you have to earn the right become a face card." Now, the mad woman was throwing cards randomly in Sokka's face. She didn't even have the audacity to look down at what card she was throwing at him. "You've got your BOULDERS! And your CARMINES! Your BOBS AND JOES! THE BUTCHER, THE BAKER, THE DYNAMITE STICK MAKER!"

Then, she screamed as loud as she possible could. All of the anger, all of the pain, and all of the anguish that she built up inside her since she realized she was going to lose Dr. Mailto, released itself in a blinding, powerful, blast. But, by some divine, spiritual miracles, no lighting erupted from her. Instead, she took all the cards, and threw them in Sokka's face. He reacted by fluttering his eyes. His reactions to Azula's antics were becoming less extreme. His mind was melting. All the information and horror he was trying to comprehend, was just too much.

A few moments of tense silence passed by as Azula looked away and breathed heavily. Her shoulders rouse up and down with each powerful breath. She then turned to Sokka, and her current state could only be described as animalistic. Her hair was tattered and her face was plastered with sweat and small remains of the Kioshi warrior make up. She walked forwards, slowly, and deadly, and grabbed Sokka right on the shoulders.

She gave him a serious look in the eyes. What she was going to say next, through all of her madness, was going to make the most sense of all, and it was imperative that Sokka listened.

"So which card are you? Hmm?" she asked in a terrifying tone. "What's it going to take, to separate you, from all the others, to make you stand out, before you fade away, with the rest of the numbers."

She looked away, allowing a calm and peaceful atmosphere to overcome Sokka, before she surprised him by pushing him down to the ground. The chair slammed violently, as so did his head. A sharp searing pain blasted through his skull. He was now looking up at Azula, as if she were a goddess. She stood with a powerful presence that was meant to not be tampered with. She lean forwards, and concluded her stunning, riveting, and frightful speech, with a magic trick.

"THERE'S ONLY ONE CARD THAT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE!" She shouted with vehemence. "IT DOESN'T ADD, OR TAKE AWAY. IT JUST IS!" And immediately, and suddenly, in the midst of her angry tirade, she bgan to get calm, and confident. With a swagger that only royalty had, she smirked as she preformed her trick. Out of nowhere, a card magically appeared in her hand. Since Sokka was foreign to the concept of cards, the former princess of the firenation, who was now the princess of darkest, explained what the man on the tricycle meant.

"This is the joker card." She spoke avowed in her since of self-righteousness. "There's one in every deck, and it always shows up, when you _least _expect it." Then, with the scariest smile that Sokka had ever seen, she got only 2 inches away from his face, and spoke clearly, and deadly. She reminded Sokka of a poison snake. He was trembling in fear.

She said, with a sick since of self awareness and foreknown enlightenment, "If you ask me Sokka, there really needs to be more wild cards in a deck." She laughed an uproarious, crazy, laughter. She had now gone beyond, and past the depths of insanity. She was in hell. This was hell. Her mind was hell. And she loved it. She _craved _it. She was _lusting _after it. Nothing would stop her from brining her hell, and effecting one more with it.

She was the queen of hell, but she needed a king.

Mailto was that king.

And nothing was going to stop her.

She picked up Sokka on the back of the chair, and dragged him along, through the hallways of the ship. "Come on," she exclaimed excitedly in a whisper. "Let's have a nice, pleasant, chat with the captain."

* * *

***cue dramatic music* Sorry to leave you on another cliff hanger. I promise I'll try to get back sooner. Now that my school has been let out for the summer, I'll have more time to my writing. Please check out my YouTube channel, ( the link is on my author profile) and as always PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Oh, and I also have a Monty Python reference in here. Points to whoever points it out. Post your find in the reviews, next chapter will have the reveal. *note; points can be substituted for cookies***

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. A master plan phase one

**HELLO MY FELLOW FANS! Wow! I've received some amazing comments and great reviews these past couple of days. Thank you all so much. I'm sorry that I didn't get to this sooner. But summer vacation and family problems had me tied up for a bit. But now I'm back. Also, for those who tried to guess the Monty Python reference…..you got it…..but you also didn't get it. Apparently, people thought the reference was ****"****You've got your BOULDERS! And your CARMINES! Your BOBS ANDOES!" It wasn't the reference I was going for, but it sure did show up. It's kind of weird how that happened. The reference I was shooting for was from the killer bunny scene in the holy grail. **

**Sokka: "We can't risk placing ourselves near Azula, that lady's dynamite." **

**King Arthur from the Holy Grail: "We better not risk another frontal assault, that rabbit's dynamite."**

**I know, stupid way of putting in a reference. Not that best one at all. But whatever,**

**Now that I'm back, let's get on with the show.**

* * *

Zuko was tired; dog tired. As he piloted the ship across the sea, his eyes became droopy and heavy with slumber. Sleep began attacking him like a vicious rabid mouse-lion. But no matter how tempting it seemed at the time for the Fire lord to rest his head on the dash of the ship, Zuko could not fall asleep. He shouldn't fall asleep. And by Agni-Ki, he wouldn't fall asleep. For the sake of his people, for the sake of his family, for the sake of his friend's and for the sake of his sister, he would not circum to slumber.

He tried everything at the moment to keep him from sleeping; tea, pushups, fire bending breathing techniques, and so far, everything was working. But for some reason, Zuko felt that maybe even after doing all these procedures, his body and mind was really trying to convince him to fall asleep. Case in point, about a few minutes ago, when Zuko was really close to hitting the sack, he heard a giant, death-piercing, scream. Zuko immediately snapped to attention. He darted his eyes around the ship's cabin to see what caused the disturbance. After a few good minutes of searching, Zuko couldn't find what caused the large scream earlier. So he marked it off as his body becoming sleep deprived. He heard stories of people hallucinating due to lack of sleep.

Then, something happened that cause Zuko to believe in that theory of hallucinations more than ever. Out of nowhere, Zuko heard a giant _clank._ He noticed that something fell from the ceiling and landed right on the dash. In the moonlight, he could clearly make out the object with his eyes, and it caused his heart to beat really fast. It was ankle shackles; leg braces. And then suddenly, another pair of chains fell from the sky. But these chains weren't just any chains…

Instead of being distraught with fear, Zuko's immediate reaction was that of annoyance. The idea that she already escaped irritated Zuko. His brow's furrowed. _Damn-it and I thought it would at least take her another two hours._

"Nice going with escaping the shackles." Zuko stated in a mono-tone that would've impressed his wife. "And I thought that you would've clearly been stooped by the security I've installed."

Suddenly, Zuko felt something cold and metallic brush the skin of his neck. A small cut, adequate to a paper cut, showed itself on Zuko's throat. If it had gone any deeper, he would've been dead. Azula hung upside down from the ceiling, holding herself by her feet which were wrapped around a metal beam, and she held a shuriken up to her brother's throat.

"You've seemed to have forgotten who you're messing with." Azula quietly proclaimed. Then, she forced the blade to push against Zuko a little harder, just so he knew that she was not to be trifled with. "Now, turn this ship around. We're heading back to the fire nation."

As Zuko turned the ship, his fear lowered and his exasperation became high. "You know, I can call all the guards to come in here and stop this."

It seemed as if though the Fire-Lord had opened Pandora's Box. For, at that moment, Azula began screaming and shouting like some mythical banshee. After her amazing tirade, she laughed a malicious chuckle right next to Zuko's ear. "They're all dead." She proclaimed with a crazed smile. "Every signal last one of them. Don't worry though, they all died peacefully in their sleep."

Zuko should've known better. This wasn't some run of the mill cabbage thief, or some small time revolutionary he was messing with. This was Azula. If she was going to escape, she was going to plan everything out and carry it out to the extreme. Now that the coordinates had repositioned themselves, Zuko was now on a fast track back to his homeland. As to what Azula was planning, or why she would want to head back, no one could say.

She dropped from the ceiling, and positioned herself right next to Zuko. Zuko also heard a small slicing sound when she dropped. Apparently, she cut something, but due to the lack of light, and the tense situation that was at hand, Zuko couldn't tell what she had done. Azula began to casually speak to her brother, which sent shiver's up the Fire-Lord's spine.

"This is nice ship you got here." She spoke with a delighted tone. "Yep, the world is you're oyster as they say. In fact, this ship reminds me of an oyster. You know why? Because inside of every oyster-"

_BAM!_

Something large and heavy had hit the floor. Zuko looked behind him, and to his utter horror, he recognized the alive but bloody figure in the burlap sack. Sokka struggled against his restraints and wiggled along the ground like some kind of worm. The gag on his mouth began to choke him.

"-is a pearl." Azula finished. Then she ran towards Sokka and punched him in the face with amazing strength, knocking him out instantly. "Shut up you pearl!" she proclaimed.

"Is that Sokka!" Zuko shouted with disbelief at what was happening before him.

"Yes it is." She viciously proclaimed as she placed the shuriken right back to Zuko's throat. "You two are going to be my slaves tonight. You're going to do what I say, when I say it, and do it how it pleases me. Now, stay on track. There's no place like home, isn't there Zuko?"

* * *

***approximately 1 hour later***

Usually, when a member of high royalty came home from a mission, a large massive crowd would gather at the docks and celebrate the return of the noblest of people. The audience would usually be shouting and screaming high praises and cheering vast "hoorays." It would usually be very bright out, very early in the morning, and very hot and humid weather.

Sadly, this wasn't the case for Zuko, with the exception of the weather. The weather was hotter than a firecracker, and wetter than a swamp. Zuko could actually feel the water content in the air. It almost felt like he had to swim in order to move. It was dark outside; really dark. It was the kind of dark that almost seemed surreal. It was that dead time of night where everyone had finally settled down for the day, and there was not one lone soul awake. Except, of course, for Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, and of course the fire nation guards that made their usual rounds docking incoming ships and assisting the crew onboard. It would put quite a kink to Azula's plan. How was the fire nation princess going to fight her way out of this one? How was she simply not going to be seen by the guards?

It seemed as if Azula was prepared. For as soon as Zuko turned to arge his point, he noticed his sister cutting off two more burlap sacks from the ceiling. Two dead guards fell to the floor with a tremendous _thump. _Azula then began to take off their armor. She placed some of it on, and tossed the rest to Sokka; who she currently had unbounded earlier.

"Put this on." She directed to Sokka. "Neither of us is going to speak. If you so much as hint to what is going on, I will kill you." She made her threat valid by brushing the end of her shuriken against Zuko's spine she stood to the side of him. "Feel that?" she sardonically proclaimed. Then, with a snap, the helmet popped itself on and Azula was completely ambiguous and indistinguishable from any other guard in history.

And it came just at the perfect time. For at that moment, the guards from the dock had opened the cabin door, and peaked inside. To say that they were astonished would be an understatement.

"My lord," One of the guards proclaimed as they bowed to his honor. "We were not expecting you so soon. Did everything go according to plan? Is your sister banished?"

Now the Fire lord was caught in a bind. What exactly was he suppose to say? He couldn't possibly make the argument that everything went under protocol. He had arrived home way too early for anyone of sound mind to assume that. So that meant that he had to come up with an excuse. He had to tell them that something went wrong. But what could be said, and what needed to be said were two totally different things. It all came down to what Azula would agree with the most. Suddenly, a shot of excellence entered his brain and he came up with possibly, one of the greatest pleas ever.

"Yes and No," Zuko declared with a solemn voice. His acting in-front of his parents as a child really paid off well. "I regret to tell you that things did not go as planned. Something horrible happened…"

"Well, what is it Sire?" The guards asked. The tension was becoming unbearable.

"She…..she decided to banish herself." He stated with a regrettable tone. "She….killed herself just a few hours ago."

"Oh sir, I'm so sorry to hear that." the guard to the left said. "You must feel horrible."

"I do men." Zuko affirmed. "I do. But I can't dwell on it too long. I must get back to the people. More importantly, my wife." He confirmed.

Azula quietly leaned over to Zuko's ear, and whispered ever so gently, "Nice job Zu-Zu."

"Are you going to be okay?" they asked sincerely.

"I'll be fine." Zuko stated. Then, trying to get out a call for help, he lightly added, in a soft tone that made it almost unnoticeable, "Let's just hope the worst is behind us."

Azula immediately caught the distress signal that Zuko gave off. In reply, she pushed the shuriken against his spine. She didn't do it to the point where it would puncture skin, but just enough to make her presence known. Zuko would not be taking advantage of her today like he did many times in the past.

"Okay sir." The guards said as they moved out of the way, so that their leader could make his way through. "Hopefully you have a nicer day."

"You too." Zuko unconscientiously stated as he made his way past the dock guards. Sokka and Azula casually made their way directly behind him. Once they got out the door, and were walking out on the wooden plank, towards the carriage that was there to transport Zuko, Azula whispered a few words in such a menacing and intimidating tone, that it haunted Zuko for the rest of his days.

"That was some nice adlibbing back there." She commented. Then, sternly, "But you're wrong. The worst isn't behind us. For the best, is yet to come." And then she chuckled a deep dark chuckle that made shivers crept up and down both Zuko and Sokka's spine. They only dimly hopped that Aang wouldn't get involved.

* * *

***a few more minutes later***

Aang could call himself the happiest man alive. He was off in blissful slumber that soothed his body and relaxed his sometimes troubled mind. He would admit that sometimes, even as the Avatar, he doubted his abilities. But why should he doubt himself? He was living the life. He had millions of homes to choose from across the nations if he and his wife had to travel. And speaking of his loving, caring, beautiful wife, he could feel himself being awoken by her, as she gently tapped his shoulder, and sweetly whispered, "Wake up. Wake up my love."

The Avatar smiled a big self-righteous grin. He knew her games. He knew how she loved just teasing him. So he decided, to do what he always used to do. He teased her back. He closed his eyes and pretended to snore, hoping that she would try harder to wake him; and she did. But as time passed, Aang realized she would have to try harder if she wanted his attention. He was actually about to fall back into slumber.

"Wake up," she gently called out.

And then, out of nowhere, Aang heard a noise that he was not expecting to hear. There was a tone of voice, more importantly, just someone's voice that didn't belong in Aang's room at this moment at all. The voice was distressed, and overall, worried. And as to why this particular person was worried, or ever why this person was in Aang's bedroom at all, Aang couldn't tell. But he was defiantly about to find out the hard way.

"Please, don't hurt him." A anxious Zuko whispered lightly, hoping Aang wouldn't hear.

Aang was confused. He turned over in his bed to try and find the foundation of the voice. He immediately recognized it, and what it said. And when he added those two factors together, it made his blood curdle. As he looked at the doorway, he noticed the shadowy silhouettes of two fire-nation guards standing and facing him. What in the hell was going on? Why was there a fire-nation guard, who sounded exactly like Zuko, in his room.

"Zuko, is that you?" Aang asked in a sort of mumble.

All of a Sudden, Azula rose from the bed, with a vicious smile and screamed, "WAKE UP!" As Aang screamed in reply and horror, Azula quickly pronounced, "GO TO SLEEP!" and then struck him in the temple with his own staff. The avatar was knocked out instantly.

Zuko and Sokka groaned in both remorse for their best friend, and irritation in Azula's behavior.

* * *

As Sokka and Zuko dragged the unconscious body of their fellow alley and best friend across the palace floor, Sokka briefly forgot about his love an affection for Aang, along with Azula's insane presence, and the master plan for which he had no clue what the first action to be carried out was, and wondered how a monk who usually only ate vegetables and trained on a daily bases, could be so heavy.

"Good grief, what does this guy eat?" Sokka proclaimed aloud. "300 mouse-lion steaks?"

At first, Zuko temporarily grumbled in displeasure at Sokka's almost child-like innocence's in handling he situation. But as Zuko kept pulling Aang along the ancient rugs given to Zuko as a wedding gift, he briefly wondered as well how Aang had become so heavy. Then, his mind immediately transported itself back to the state of affairs that Azula was putting them through. Then he wondered why exactly he was dragging Aang in the first place. More importantly….

"Was it really necessary to knock Aang out?" Zuko asked his sister. "I mean, wouldn't have been easier if you'd just tie him up or something?"

"Of course it was necessary." Azula exclaimed as they reached her destination. She immediately ordered Sokka and Zuko to stop at the foot of the stairs which lead towards the main dining room. "I mean, duh. Otherwised, he'd feel this."

With the small push of her foot, Aang's body went tumbling down the cold hard metal staircase. Zuko and Sokka winced in pain as they watched their cataleptic airbending friend flop down the stairs limply like a dead fish. At one point, the body did a somersault and Zuko swore he heard Aang's skull crack. And even if Aang wasn't severally injured in the fall, Zuko was positive that the red gooy liquid spilling itself across the staircase was defiantly not wine.

When the body finally collapsed at the finally stair, Zuko stated with solemn guilt and concern, "Shit."

"Sokka, go check on him and see if he's okay," Azula commanded with disgust in her voice. If it wasn't for her master plan, she wouldn't have given any care in the world to Aang's medical condition.

Sokka ran down the stairs in a quick and hushed pace to Aang's side. He checked his vitals, and was relieved that his buddy, even though he took quite a stumble, was going to be okay.

"He's got some cuts and some bruises," Sokka reported to the slave and the overlord upon the top of the stairs, "But he's still breathing. I only hope he doesn't wake up with brain damage. But I think He'll be okay."

"Sounds good," Azula proclaimed. And then, the next words that flew from her lips were so dumbfounding and amazingly crazy, that Sokka was reconsidering an anyalizing his own sanity. He was completely flabbergasted when Azula ordered him to, "Take off Aang's clothes. All of them."

"….I'm sorry, what did you say?" Sokka asked politely, even though he fully heard what she said.

"Me and Zuko are going to grab the last dinner guest, and I want Aang undressed for the occasion," Azula explained as if it was a normal thing to do for a casual dinner. "So, get Aang buck ass naked, because we don't want to be late for dinner, now do we?"

And with that, Azula took Zuko away from the scene as both her and her brother embarked on the final preparation for dinner, as they left Sokka in the dust. But, she heard Sokka exclaim, as she went out of sight, "Wait…so, you want Aang at the dinner table…..naked?"

* * *

As Azula and Zuko took hurried paced strides down the long and extensive hallways, Zuko was beginning to recognize his surroundings, and this didn't amuse him one bit. In fact, it left him dreadfully fearful for his wife's safety. He immediately realized that the last dinner guest was going to be Mai. Now his heart raced and the fear that should've been racing in his system much, much earlier was now pumping through his veins erratically. Once they stopped at the door to Zuko's master bedroom, the Fire-Lord was beginning to gain the courage to stand up to this madwoman.

"I can't do this." Zuko told his sister. "This is insane."

"And so am I," Azula replied with an evil smile.

"I can't hurt my wife. I won't let you hurt her. And I won't obey you anymore," Zuko proclaimed with power.

Instead of reacting violently, as Zuko was prepared for his sister to do, instead, she exasperated a sigh of disappointment, and muttered, "Spoiled sport." Then, she gave off _her _commands; just so he knew who was really in charge here. "Now listen, I'm not going to hurt your precious little wife." She said with disgust. " all you have to do, is knock on the door, and when she answers it, just say 'dinner's ready.' Then, I'll gag her and tie her up. I promise that she won't be harmed."

"How can I take your word." Zuko declared angrily.

"Okay, let me put it like this. If you disobey the command in any way, I will make sure she's hurt." She avowed with a death piercingly low tone.

Zuko stood there for a moment, as he stared into the black holes of her eyes. He realized immediately at that moment, she wasn't selling any alibis. There was no way he could make a deal for him to give up his position as her slave right now. For the benefit and safety of his wife, the best thing for him to do was just to follow orders.

He turned casually to his left, and much to his regret, he knocked on the door. Azula moved off to the side so Mai wouldn't be able to see her once she opened the door. As the seconds passed by, Zuko menatally prepared himself to carry out the task that was awfully bestowed upon him.

But all of his mental gymnastics went out the door when Mai answered the door, rubbing her eyes as she tried to wake up, and yawning as her body adjusted to its new position. Zuko just didn't have the heart to do it. Any other moment, Zuko would have saw some of Mai's innocents which he knew and fully aware of, but in this state, all of her innocents was shining brightly like a spirit manifested itself in human flesh. She was the very essence of Innocents. He just couldn't do it. _Fuck Azula, _he pronounced in his head. _This is ending right now._

Mai was utterly confused once her eyes adjusted to the light. "Zuko….baby, you're back already? What's going on?"

"Mai, go back inside. It's unsafe." He softly, yet sternly proclaimed.

Azula lost her shit. She told him to obey her, _or else. _ Now he was about to witness the wrath that she could bestow. If it wasn't for that plan of hers, she would've given Zuko a full spectacle, but since part of the plan meant having Mai alive, she could only give her brother a taste.

Jumping out from behind the corner, Azula grabbed Mai's hair, and quickly, without warning, she slammed Mai's forehead against the wood grain door, exclaiming, "DINNER'S READY!"

As soon as her head collided with the door, Mai's world went black. And as soon as that Happened, Zuko tackled his sister, exclaiming with the most powerful of voices, "STOP IT! ENOUGH!" but before he could even put her down to the ground, Azula preformed an amazing rotating scissor kick. And when her heel collided with his cheekbone, his world went black as well.

* * *

**Wow. The tension and action in this chapter is so thick you can't even cut it with a knife. But whatever. I'm glad that even though it's been so long since I've been in the saddle with this story, I can still keep Azula dangerous, and more importantly, amazingly crazy. BTW, I added another reference in this chapter. NO, IT'S NOT A MONTY PYTHON REFRENCE. IT'S A BOB DYLAN REFRENCE. If you can spot it, I'll give you another cookie. Cookies can be substituted for virtual hugs. Lol.**

**Anyways, thank you for reading. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**God Bless,**

**Welcometofightclub. **


	11. a master plan phase two: dinner party

**Hello everyone. I'm back. Took a small vacation. Went tubing down Bennet Springs. I had lots of fun, and I got a tattoo. Airbrush; I'm too young for a real one. Picture may end up on my profile someday, if I can just figure out how to get pictures from my IPod onto my computer. Anyways, I finally got around to typing this, and I hope it get put up before the end of the month. If not, I'm sorry, and I'll try better next time to reach my deadline. Before we can continue with this story, I have a bit of an announcement to make. If you don't know this already, I am a huge film geek, and while music is my passion, I'm hoping a career in acting will help me get my start. I mean, look at Robert Downey Jr. he's an actor, and he released an album that got on the Billboard top 100's. Anyways, my agent out in LA told me to get some local representation, and I finally got it. I now have a contract with Exposure Model and Talent agency, and I will sign very soon. But, as I thought about it recently, I realized that most of you might want a glimpse as me as an actor. So, if you want to see me act, and see what I can do, on my YouTube page (which the link is on my Author profile) I have a video of my reenacting some of my favorite scenes from the web series Red Vs Blue. I really hope everyone checks it out. I'M LOOKING AT YOU THOMAS DROVIN.**

**Anyways, without further ado, here it is.**

* * *

When Zuko awoke from the darkness, the first thing he could comprehend was how hard Azula could actually kick. His head felt like a steel drum that was being pounded on by a sledge hammer. The increasingly painful pulse in his head would not subside. He felt like he was going to burst. The second thing Zuko could comprehend was that his mouth was gagged and his hands were bond behind his back on the chair he was sitting in. Thought, the FireLord was not surprised in the least. He knew that his sister wouldn't make things easy for him in the least. But he was surprised that Azula had managed to hold herself back, and not bond him as tightly as she usually did to her victims.

The third thing he noticed was…..Aang? what in the world was he doing standing up in front of him? And why in Agni-Ki was he naked? To make matter worse, the strange candle lighting in the room provide in intense atmosphere, and it made the Avatar look like he was some male escort, who was a part time body builder from the outskirts of the city. This was just plum ridiculous. What was going on?

The third thing he noticed, was the sound of a small and weak moan. It was a tired groan; the type of noise that only a person awakened after a night of heavy drinking could produce. Or maybe it was the type of noise that a person could produce after having a massive head injury. For, when the Fire Lord turned his head towards the source of the noise, he shuttered in horror at the sight of his fair lady, Mai, with a bruise across her eye, waking up to look at the horrendous scene before her.

When she woke up, she started off slow. Anyone waking up after getting kicked in the head by Azula is always going to come to consciousness slowly. But once she noticed Aang, she freaked out. Immediately averting her gaze to the left, only to shriek in horror again as she noticed her husband, with a perpendicular black eye to match hers, staring back at her, equally terrified.

And the last thing Zuko noticed as he woke up, was the knife that came around behind Aang's back, and placed itself right beside Aang's throat, along with the commanding voice of Azula.

"You're doing fine Aang," the ghastly voice proclaimed in a whisper. "Just make sure you don't knock over the platter." (At this point, Zuko looked down and noticed a platter with a lid….sitting right in front of Aang's crotch; blocking out any sight of The Avatar's manhood.) "And whatever you do," Azula exclaimed as her voice became darker. "Don't even dare try to ignore or disobey my commands. Or I'm gonna cut you. And I'm gonna cut Zuko and Mai as well. I'm going to cut all of you."

With the tension in the atmosphere at its highest point, with anxiety so thick it could cut like knife, the demented Fire Bending prodigy finally stepped out from behind Aang. She wore an increasingly alarming, yet smug smile, along with her prisoner's attire. Covering the prisoner's attire was a cooking kimono that seemed way too big for her. Along her left arm was a towel, for no apparent reason. That was, until, she made her way around the table; passing Sokka, and Katara who were also bounded and gagged, and got between Zuko and Mai, and made her speech. Thus, she revealed the new identity of herself, as Azula, the waitress.

"Good evening madam," she said with a smug grin as she leaned towards Mai. "Hello sir," Azula stated with a self-pompous attitude as she leaned towards Zuko. "Welcome to the Grand Central Fire Lord Café. As you can tell by my attire, I will be preparing the meal tonight since I have given your chef the night off."

And with that, she immediately threw a knife towards the ceiling. A small cutting sound was heard; like the tearing of fabric. Falling from the sky, was the owner of the cooking kimono; a giant, fat, overweight chef that prepared all the meals in the palace. He collided with the floor, and the pile of broken fat man, started to bleed. Katara began to scream inside the cloth that kept her mouth shut. Aang began to tear up seeing his wife in such a state of distress. Azula, however, remained in character.

"Do you know what you'd like to order?" Azula asked Mai nicely; which sent shivers down the Fire Lady's spine. However, even in this state of crises, Mai never lost her rebellious attitude, and replied with snarl…

"Got to hell." Mai proclaimed.

Strangely, Azula didn't seem mad. Just shocked. Like she didn't understand what Mai just said. As if Azula believe Mai was asking for 'got to hell' as her main entrée. "What was that?" Azula asked politely.

"Leave me alone," Mai substituted. She breathed heavily and stared right into Azula's eyes, making sure she didn't misinterpret her words again.

Azula had discovered her old smug smile again, and painted it across her face. She shook her head and gave off small disappointed 'tsks.' And then, as she placed the gag back into Mai's mouth, she replied, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we serve that here." Then, she turned around and look towards her brother. Knowing better she didn't remove the gag while asking him for his order. "What would you like….hmmm?" she asked her brother. Zuko replied by grumbling in anger and rage. He gazed into Azula's eyes like he was staring into the pit of a black hole. Never once, while she looked back, did he avert his gaze.

Seeing as how no one placed an order, she proceeded with her master plan, and reached for the platter in front of Aang. "How about I just bring out one of the specials?" she removed the top from the platter, and Katara screamed. Sokka know fully understood why Mai wanted Aang naked, and was sicken by this sight before him. Zuko gagged and felt like he was going to throw up. And Mai just couldn't believe what she saw. "I hope everyone likes sausage." Azula proclaimed.

No wonder Aang was standing so still, and cowering with fear. His dick was on top, and surrounded by Parsley leaves, lettuce, and boiled eggs. If Aang made one false move if Azula choose to stab an egg, the Avatar could kiss the dream of having a child, 'bye, bye.'

Azula took the long walk around the amazingly wide table. Once she made It to the other side, she stood right next to Aang, who was beginning to sweat. (And who could blame him?) She picked up a knife and fork, and with the intent to taunt, tease, and strike fear into Aang's heart, she began to sharpen the blade right in front of his eyes. After a few good sharpening, she held the knife right in front of his head.

"Does that like sharp enough to cut a sausage to you?" she asked Aang menacingly. The Avatar began to drip a cold sweat. Fear tingled all over his body.

After few more good sharpening, Azula felt that she probably hd done enough to Aang….so far. So, she began to look for a new target. Her eyes landed directly on Mai. A creepy smile began to brew on Azula's face. She wondered how long it would take to break the ice queen. She walked around the table, and stood to the right of Mai. She began sharpening the blade, slowly and threateningly, until finally, Azula noticed that little rebellious glimmer in Mai's eyes began to drift away. It replaced itself with fear, and the powerful fire lady began to tremble. Panic hit her like a bucket of water. And Zuko noticed this immediately.

"That's enough." Zuko growled to his sister.

Azula was not expecting Zuko to react so soon. Sure, she expected a mild, or even over the top reaction coming from him, but she was surprised that it happened so instantly. It really didn't take much. Even just the threat of harm towards Mai was enough to get Zuko barking mad. Noticing this, she got a dirty grin, and while focusing her attention on Zuko entirely, she sharpened the blade in a much quicker pace in front of  
Mai's face. Mai began to cower away, and started to lean back in her chair.

"Stop it," Zuko growled again.

Suddenly, a noise emitted itself in such a strange fashion, that it caught Azula's attention immediately. The noise itself wasn't strange. She automatically knew it was a sniffle. But the information regarding where it came from was so mind boggling that it could destroy the universe. The sound came from Mai. Mai was starting to cry.

While Zuko himself was completely shocked, Azula began to smile once more. She had planned on someone breaking down, but she never thought it would be Mai. Perfect. The plan could continue on with no resistance, and she would have her way.

"Are you acting like a chicken?" She asked with a deceiving personality. Her face sent shivers down Mai's spine. The fire lady immediately shook her head feverously. "Well that sure looks like chicken," Azula commented. Suddenly she lunged forward with the blade in her hand. Zuko jumped in surprised and almost fell forward on his face. Azula placed the blade right next to Mai's; not cutting, nor slicing, or penetrating, just making its presence known. "Chicken's not on the menu," she rumbled demonically. Suddenly she disappeared under the table. "No…if you're going to act like a chicken." She proclaimed from under the table. Immediately just a few seconds later, she stood right back up. In her hand was a mask that usually only performers in stage plays would use. And this mask just so happened to be, the mask, of a chicken. "You get to be the chicken," she complied, completing her earlier statement. Without a moment's hesitation, she shoved the mask over Mai's face, who, at that moment, returned to her senses, and remained strong. Still, however, her body produced tears, and she continued to weep. No one could tell if she was crying, however. The mask completely overshadowed her face. It also blocked Mai's vision, turning everything that was in her sights, black.

"And will say goodbye to sausage." Azula proclaimed in a simple non-chalant way. Aang's eyes widen at this statement. They were filled with even more shock; When Azula lifted her right leg for a powerful side kick. "night night Aang." Azula said nicely as her foot collided with the bridge of his nose. The sound of bone cracking was crisp and clear; frightening. Aang toppled backwards and passed out. A few eggs were his manhood once stayed at flew out of the tray as a result. The falling eggs reminded Azula of her intent. While she was 'strictly business' when it came to her duties as an agent of chaos, she was well known for her ability to get sidetracked in personal pleasure; like the torturing of Mai. So, reminded of her mission, and why she called for dinner in the first place, Azula knelt down beside her brother, and began to speak.

"As you can see Zu Zu, I've made your personal favorite; eggs." Azula began with a prowess that could only be described as maliciously political. "This begs the question. Which died first?" Azula pointed towards the terrified chicken head Mai, "The Chicken." Azula pointed back at Zuko. "Or the egg. And that question will keep you up _all night, _to the point where you just wanna…GOUGE OUT YOUR OWN EYES!"

Zuko snapped.

"LOOK! WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO TO ME JUST DO IT AND LEAVE HER ALONE!" The Firelord screamed. The aching in his heart to see his wife in distress was unbearable. Tears began to form in his eyes.

Azula was not grief-stricken in the least by Zuko's overdramatic performance. She simply remained as evil as ever. She simply just did not care for the well fare of others. It was all, part of the plan. And yet everyone was losing their minds. Azula turned an eyed the chicken Mai with a cocked brow.

"You really love her?" Azula blandly asked as she stared at the chicken.

"Yes," Zuko sobbed.

The trapped had been sprung, a smile so evil that it would have given demons the shakes painted itself across her face immediately. Her delicious intent had now unfolded before her. The reason for this dinner, the reason for all this, was so the traitors, those who had disobeyed and betrayed her in the past, could finally, once and for all, be laid to rest. She gave off a quiet thank you to her brother for unleashing hell.

"Then let's put that to the test shall we?" she exclaimed with delight.

Everyone in the dining room could hear Mai pronounce under her mask and through the gag, "no, no, no, no!"

"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes!" Azula cheered as she grabbed mai by the shoulder and hugged her in an evil and teasing manner. It was the first time anyone had actually seen a hug become demonic. The gang would need lots of therapy before anyone hugged anybody again.

Azula reached into Zuko's platter and grabbed the fattest egg she could find. "Here, try and egg," she suggested. Before Zuko could even comment, Azula shoved the egg into his throat. The Firelord was getting prepared to spit it back out, just when Azula had clothed his mouth again, leaving the egg trapped. "Don't talk with your mouth full." She commented. "Bad manners." Then, she unbounded Zuko's hands from behind the chair. Using a fire bending technique, she slowly heated Zuko's hands while gripping them tightly; thus, Zuko's hand would deviate from her use. She placed a chopstick in the palm of his right hand. "Always use the red wood chop sticks," she proclaimed. "Much thicker. Better use of gripping." As soon as the chopstick was placed in his hand, Azula grabbed lots of cloth from under the table, and wrapped Zuko's hand up.

The fire lord's heart rate was increasing. The tension was becoming unbearable. In fact, the anxiety had gotten so bad that Katarra just went unconscious out of nowhere, and fell against the table. She was out cold. Azula noted this and thought up some devious ways to use Katarra. But then she shook off these future plans. There was a lot more going on right now. Case in point, Zuko's eyes had widened to the size of saucers, and his brain scrambled for the answer as to _what the hell was going on!_

Zuko received his answer, and it almost made his heart stopped.

"Which comes first Zu Zu," she announced. "Your chicken," she said as she held onto Mai. "Or your eggs. Oh, and by eggs, I mean your eyes."

Even though the egg and the gag rendered his speech patterns inconceivable, it was clear as day that Zuko shouted in surprise, "WHAT!"

"I want you to put all the eggs, in one basket." Azula proclaimed as she pronounced ever syllable with the intent to get her intent through Zuko's cranium. She grabbed his clothed hand-cuffs, and started to push the chopstick up towards the firelord's eyes.

Zuko, as predictable as ever in Azula's eyes, rebelled. Shouting under the egg and gag, "NO!" Zuko began pushing down. Azula, however, didn't let up and instead kept pushing up. This lead into a small tug-of-war like match between Azula and Zuko; brother against sister. The sad part was, in the end, there was going to be only one victor. Zuko's strength finally overpowered Azula's and she simply just gave up trying to get Zuko to gouge out his own eyes. Zuko felt relaxed and at ease for a moment, as he saw an opportunity to catch his breath.

But then, he looked right back to Azula. Her lower lip was quivering like she was sadden or in pain. If Zuko was in the right state of mind, and not in a state of panic, he would've realized sooner that her pain was for him. What she was about to do, would make Zu Zu hate her for years. However, most of this was just a performance, and completely fake on her part. She was going to have lots of fun.

Zuko's heart sank when she turned towards Mai, and solemnly proclaimed, "Sorry Mai. I tried. Looks like its chicken then." And she grabbed the knife.

Zuko flipped. His mind now and gone a blank, and too this day, if you asked him how he reacted, due to his suppress memories, he wouldn't even remember the dastardly dinner party Azula had planned. It was documented later that the Firelord screamed so loudly that even through the cloth, his voice echoed in the palace, and on top of that, he began shaking and flopping around like dead fish when Azula held the blade up to Mai's neck. In fact, he shook so much that eventually, the chair toppled under his weight, and he fell backwards with the chair, and continued screaming.

Azula was quite frankly caught in a pickle. On one hand, she wanted Mai to pay for her betrayal many years ago, but on the other hand, Zuko's screaming was loud and, quite frankly, annoying, to the point in fact that it almost made Azula want to not kill Mai. Finally, the screaming became so pestering that Azula just gave up, and took the knife from Mai's throat, and threw it against the wall.

"FINE, FINE!" Azula grumbled loudly as she sat her head on the table, exasperated. She was angry at how her plan went askew. So angry, in fact, she took all the platters that were on the table, and threw them against the wall as well. This brought the tension to a point where Sokka passed out as well, and he joined his sister on the table. As Azula continued her rampage on the table, Zuko and Mai found that it was the best time, for both of them to finally catch their breaths. Unfortunately for them, their rewind session didn't last long.

Azula finished her tantrum by slamming her elbows on the table, and running her hands through her hair, screaming, "You people are _impossible!_"

Azula flashed her eyes between the Fire Lord and Fire Lady. She noted that this phase of her operation did not turn out the way she wanted it too, but for some strange reason, that was okay. The battle was lost, but the war had just yet begun. Her master plan was far from over. Even though the traitor was still living, her grand prize was awaiting her at the altar. Besides, there's always a plan B.

"Look, even though you two ruined dinner, _and you did ruin it,_ I'm going to be a nice girl for a change. " Azula announced to the married couple. Then, much to their surprised, she hugged the both of them. As she hugged Zuko, she stared into his eyes as if she was gazing into his soul. She pointed at his chest, so her words could not be missed interpreted. "If you promise me, that you'll do everything I ask you to do tonight, and I mean everything, I'll let you see your wife again. Are we clear on that Zu, Zu?"

The fire lord nod his head quickly and hurriedly. He was willing. Fearful for what may happen; yes, but he was willing to do everything, and anything, that Azula asked him to do, as long as it allowed him to see his wife again.

"Just like any healthy marriage," Azula proclaimed. "It's got to be based on trust. Can I trust you Zuko?"

Now this sent shivers up Zuko's spine. When his sister was giving him advice on relationships that was actually, factually true, something was wrong. However, Zuko was never one for nit picking small details in a time of crises. So, instead of rebelling, Zuko complied, and nod his head yes.

Azula detached his leg bindings, and Zuko was freed from the chair. However, Azula kept a tight grip around his waist to prevent him from running away. Azula leaned in towards the frightened and distressed Mai. She noticed for a brief moment that her eyes were red; blood shot, due to her recent crying. As Azula thought about it, she noted that this might have been the first time she had actually seen Mai cry. Whatever. She proceeded with her plan.

"I'm going to have him back by midnight, okay." Azula avowed as she whispered into Mai's ear. Mai nod her head. Suddenly, Azula disappeared under the table for a brief moment, and brought back up another platter.

"Because if I don't…."Azula exclaimed, meaning to never finish the sentence. When she revealed what was under the platter, it was the completion of her sentence. It was an old device that spies from both the rebel armies and the fire nations armies had used countless times in the line of duty. 18 sticks of dynamite were wrapped together in a metal clamp. All of their fuses connected together, and ended at a base which had a strange device which could tell time and keep up with the current time using mechanical cogs. It was a time bomb.

Mai screamed.

It amazing how some people can coup with so much stress before their minds fight back and cause them to pass out. Royalty, Like Zuko, was placed under a lot of stress daily, but there no stress comparable to the type of anxiety he experienced when he saw the bomb. That just did it for Zuko, and for the final time that night, Zuko joined the group of people like Sokka, Katara, and Aang, and he followed in their footsteps, by passing out as well.

* * *

**Another chapter in the bag. Woot! **

**Since none of you caught the Bob Dylan reference from the last chapter, I'll give you another day to look for it. Post your findings in your review. Here's a hint, 'like a rolling stone.' But what lines? How are they connected? Well, you'll have to solve that won't you?**

**Thanks for all the support. I'll try to add another chapter in August real soon. schools about to start. Uggh. I hate it. Anyways, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. And as always…**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	12. a master plan phase three: road trip

**Hey everyone. You wanted it, you asked for it, and now it has arrived. The newest chapter for **_**a method to the madness **_**is here! I apologize for the extremely long update. My birthday arrived, and I turned 16 years old. GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE! My band had a pretty stellar show and we had a blast. Then, my school of rock group did their **_**foo fighters **_**show, with an amazing reception, and all the songs went off without a hitch. Next season, school of rock is doing a DARK SIDE OF THE MOON SHOW! I'M SO FREAKING PYSCHED! DARK SIDE OF THE MOON IS MY FAVORTIE ALBUM EVER!**

**Well, with that out of the way….let's get on with the show.**

* * *

Zuko woke up….and screamed.

He screamed until his vocal chords felt raw and sore. He screamed until he thought he was coughing up blood. Blackness surrounded his vision. All black, not one glimpse of light anywhere, and on top of that, tight spaces. He felt like he was in a coffin. And the more Zuko banged his fist against the solid black wall in front of him, (which, due to its sound, clearly made of wood,) the more he felt that he was defiantly in a coffin. He remembered getting knocked unconscious by his psychotic sister back at the palace. Maybe Azula took his wife and killed her and everyone else. Maybe his servants mistook him for being dead and thrown him in a casket. Maybe right now, while Zuko was stuck in this terrible, terrible predicament, his wife and best friends were stuck in an even dire situation. Maybe they were dead. Shit, maybe he _was _dead. Maybe this is what happens when you die; you're all alone for the rest of your life, staring into bleak darkness, as you bang your fist against your tomb and scream for help, yet no help will come.

Suddenly, dark light engulfed his vision. For a brief second he felt free. He sprang out of his sarcophagus like a bat out of hell, and began to fly towards freedom.

Then, he realized that he was falling, not flying. And thus, he began to scream once more. It was night time, he realized, due to the gray atmosphere that surrounded him. But even so, he noticed the clouds whizzing by his head at incredible speeds, and the ground below him getting closer, and closer. Dimly, faintly, he could see houses and possible buildings below him, getting larger and larger. He braced for impact.

When suddenly out of nowhere, he suddenly stopped falling. He collided softly with solid ground, as ridiculous as that sounds. He felt strange all of a sudden. It was like he was moving, but instead of moving up and down; he was moving left and right. He turned his body over and laid on his back. He noticed that he was now staring up at the clouds. He was in mid air, not falling or flying, just hovering; possibly moving straight. What was going on?

All of a sudden, Zuko's good view of the clouds was suddenly obscured by the maniacal, devilish grin, that belonged to none other than his evil sister; Azula.

Zuko's eyes went wide in both utter fear and amazement. He found it odd that the girl who had previously tornado kicked him in the face was now staring back down at him, gleaming cheerfully.

"Now, are you gonna behave?" Azula asked as if she were talking to her disobedient child.

The fire lord nodded his head vigorously. He wasn't quite sure what he was getting into, but he knew that if he were to have chosen defiance, there would've have been dire consequence. He knew his sister all too well to rebel against her when she was in this teeter-totter state. She had that grin plastered over her skull like some horrific holiday decoration. The pain behind that smile was as deadly as fire itself. And knowing too much of the effects of fire, Zuko decided to be submissive towards his sibling.

"Good," Azula proclaimed as she held out her hand. The smile was gone in an instant; replaced by a dreadful scowl of annoyance. "You've wasted enough of our time screaming." She sighed.

Zuko was momentarily bewildered as he stared at Azula's hand which was outstretched in front of him. In theory, he knew that she was going to help him up. But since when did Azula ever help anybody with anything? Reacting without thinking, Zuko grabbed the hand and Azula pulled her brother up to his feet.

"I would've just let you fallen to your death when you left that chest over there," Azula exclaimed as she pointed towards the chest which Zuko sprang free out of moments earlier.

When Zuko turned his head towards the general direction where Azula was pointing, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit. All was beginning to make since. The curtains were beginning to unfold. He now fully realized, somewhat, where he was at. Nothing could hide that giant tail of Appa's.

So Zuko was on the back of Appa, riding high in the night sky. He assumed that after he passed out, his sister must have taken him hostage and placed him in that chest. As the revelations came forth, new questions began to arise. Zuko knew that he was on Appa, that much was certain. But where was he going? More importantly, where did Azula want to go to? Even more importantly than that, who was piloting Appa as he and his sister spoke?

"However," Azula continued. "You're too vital to my plan to just die off so easily." Pointing again, she proclaimed, "You're lucky that Katarra here was piloting and was able to catch you just in time before you went _splat _dear ZuZu." '

Zuko turned his head, and gasped. What his sister said was absolutely true. Flying the magnificent beast, and shivering in the cold night out of fear and natural reflexes, was none other than the Avatar's lady; Katarra. She seemed saddened, alone, and confused, as any sane person that was held captive by his insane sister should be. For a brief second, Zuko thought, 'where is Aang?' then, he asked himself, 'is this really Katarra?'

"Katarra?" Zuko mumbled; unsure of how to take in the scene that was displaying itself before him.

"Yes," Azula replied cheerfully as she pulled out a knife and began to walk towards the water bender. "She's agreed to be our driver for tonight's events." She sat right down next to the completely bewildered water girl. "Haven't you," Azula demonically asked the driver.

The knife came roaring around her side. The sharp end came to an abrupt stop, right next to Katarra's neck. If any more pressure were to have been applied, the lady would've surely been killed almost immediately. The knife stayed there for a brief moment. Not cutting, nor penetrating; just making its presence known. And that it did. The water bender was almost brought to tears. Zuko faintly heard the lady proclaim, in an almost painfully strained whisper, "Aang, please be ok. Please be here."

There was no doubt about it now. This was Katarra that was piloting Appa. And that was Azula who stared at the side of her head as if it held all the secrets of the universe. The knife finally went away, as Azula made her demands. But before she did that, in an almost evil and vindictive mockery of Katarra's pain, she whispered. "Shush…..hush my darling."

Then came the demands; almost as cold as Azula's mind was itself. "Keep going straight. I'll tell you when you've reached your destination. Try anything funny and your husband is going to get your head on a stick as a lovely anniversary gift. That is, if he makes it out alive to even see you. Don't do anything stupid. Just fly."

Azula turned around and faced her brother, smiling; happy without a care in the world. The violence and paranoia she was unleashing felt like pure justice. Her pain was constant and sharp, from which there was no escape. And seeing her pain being inflicted upon others as well, warmed her heart, causing her to smile as she began to speak to her brother.

But before she could get a word in edgewise, another voice piped in right beside Zuko's right ear, proclaiming, "what about me?'

Zuko turned his head to the right, and could've sworn that he was hallucinated. The unfortunate thing was, he wasn't. This had to be a dream, but it was all too horrifyingly real. Zuko began to question his own sanity, when out of nowhere, he saw, Sokka. But it wasn't just the fact that he saw Sokka that fried his brain for all eternity. It was the fact that he saw Sokka wearing some unusual articles of clothing.

Sokka…..was wearing a women's dress. Like some cross dressing maniac unleashed from the bowls of hell, Sokka stood there in all of his transsexual glory. There was no doubt that Sokka was not enjoying this. The scowl was self evident. Then again, with all that make up that was covering his face, who knows if he was actually frowning or not?

Azula sighed in irritation, and exclaimed quietly, "You, you just sit there and look pretty." As she said this, something eerie began to happen. Zuko recognized the dress.

"…..Is that my wife's formal palace dress?" Zuko asked in utter horror as he began to stutter.

"Yeah, I think it looks much better on Sokka," Azula stated as she began to look around Appa's giant saddle for something.

"….I tend to disagree." Zuko mumbled in fear and in instinct as he watched his sister grab a piece of paper. She handed it to him without hesitation. He scanned over it instinctually. Suddenly, he was amazed. This was his handwriting! But he had no recollection of ever writing this.

"What's this?" Zuko asked in bewilderment.

"Oh, you know," Azula cheerfully began. "Standard red tape to insure that everything we do tonight is legal." Then, with a grumbling undertone, she spoke in a command. "Now sign the damn thing."

Zuko didn't waver on this decision for a long time; his hand began signing his name at will. "You're lucky that I was able to copy your handwriting so well," Azula continued. "Or maybe, I'm the lucky one in this situation. I just needed your signature in case everything falls apart. Because, even if I wrote the actually letter, that's your actually signature, signifying that you agreed to this."

"I doubt that's going to hold up in fire nation council." Zuko declared with a quirked brow. His sister had completely fallen into a fantasy long ago, but now it was no longer a fantasy. It was complete fiction.

"Well, we will soon see, won't we Zu, Zu?" Azula affirmed with an almost iron like quality to her voice. She took the paper from her hand and stuffed it in her pocket for safe keeping.

"What does it say?" Zuko asked about the paper.

"Well basically, the letter says that your wife lost her marbles and decided to form an alliance with me." Azula stated as if it were the gospel. Zuko's jaw went slack when she told the story. He was in complete disbelieve. "She attacked you, stole your shoe, and took off fleeing towards the general direction of the earth kingdom." Azula stated. "Which, by the way," and with that, Azula immediately punched her brother square in the nose. He flew back in pain as the red blood began to flow. Without any pause to see if he was listening, Azula exclaimed, "Good. Now it looks like you've been attacked." Pulling her brother back up by the front of his fire nation royalty suite, she continued with her story. "Anyways, you're not sure where she's going, but you have a defendant idea that your wife is heading towards Ba Sing Se through the Sakura forest of darkness. You have decided to head to Ba Sing Se to alert the people, and prepare them for attack. This note is basically issuing your guards and personal servants to go on an epic woman hunt. That takes care of security. Plus, since the note says you're going to Ba Sing Se, Appa doesn't seem so out of the ordinary. It's perfect."

"What about the actual Mai?" Zuko demanded with a glum look. "My guards will defiantly see her bond to a chair at the kitchen table with a time bomb in front of her as they're running out."

"Good point there." Azula said with a smug smile. "Fortunately for me, I thought of that before you. I hid her and locked her in a linen closet with the bomb." Silence fell amongst them. Zuko was distraught. Sokka was frankly amazed at how in depth Azula's plan was, and Katarra simply still piloted Appa. "Everything's going according to plan." Azula proclaimed in a whisper. Her evil grin began to show in the moonlight.

At last, with no sense of fear and or uncertainty, Katarra spoke her first words since Zuko saw her. "I'm sorry, where are we going again?"

_**SLAP!**_

As if nature would only be in balance if Azula were to do this on cue, as soon as Katarra was finished with her sentence, the demented and mentally tortured fire lady responded with a slap to end all slaps. Back hand, hard, fast, in a blink of an eye, powerful, and filled with outrageous yet almost righteous fury, Azula slapped the shit of Katarra with just one slap. She almost made the WaterBender pass out with just one slap. Sokka got up to attack the attacker against his sister, but as soon as Sokka was about to stand, Zuko held him down and back. If one thing was certain, it was this. Azula was going to have her way tonight, whether that meant death and or harm to others. The best thing to do was just to sit back and comply with every horrendous and horrific event that played out. Azula held the knife once again to Katara's throat. Appa growled loudly in disapproval.

"Waterbenders….are better seen….then _heard!" _Azula snarled in a vindictive manner. "So shut up! And if I hear another word out of you, head on a stick. Remember that."

Sokka could no longer take it. He shouted, "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SISTER YOU EVIL WHORE!"

"Now, now, now," Azula grumbled as she took the knife away and laid back in exasperation. "No one _important_ is getting hurt;" she turned her head towards Sokka. "Least of all you. No, no, no. you, my dear princess, have a very important role to play."

The psychotic nut snapped her neck towards Zuko. "Zu Zu, politely hand Sokka your shoe please."

The blade began to glimmer in the moonlight. And that was all the motivation that the fire lord needed to take off his shoe and hand it to Sokka. The warrior boy placed the shoe on his foot as Azula commanded him to do. Amazingly, it was so close to a perfect match; A little big, but still ideal for what Azula had planned to do with it.

"Well, my, my," Azula mockingly declared as she stared at Sokka's foot enclosed within this new shoe. "It's a perfect fit m'lady!" Jumping towards him, Azula landed right in front of Sokka and stared into his eyes with critical importance burning behind hers. She clasped both hands against his facial cheeks and pulled his forehead towards hers. They connected.

"Time to take you to your glamorous ball!"

* * *

The Sakura forest which stood in the middle of the earth kingdom had the word "dark," in its title for two reasons. First of all, it must be stated, that the reason why the word "dark," was in the forest's title was partially because in the late spring, the pink flowers on the trees would turn into a deep dark scarlet red. It was a dazzle spectacle to see. Some even said that there was more to the color than what met the human eye, and that the forest itself was emitting colors that the human perception could not conceive.

However, the main reason why the Sakura forest of darkness was considered dark, was due to the fact that at night, the forest would become the most eerie, terrifying, and flat out most horrific place to be on any of the four nations. All trees would pose themselves as menacing for some odd reason. Every corner felt like someone was hiding behind it, waiting to pounce and kill the unlucky passer by just trying to make it through the forest. Walking from one end of the forest to the other after dark was considered suicide.

Which is why when Appa landed in this particular location, and when Azula told Sokka that it was time, he flipped out.

"Are you insane?" Sokka asked ironically as his voice began to break due to utter fear.

"Well, yeah." Azula honestly replied with a smile from the ground as she looked up at the terrified Sokka who was seated on Appa.

"That forest is dark, and creepy, and there ghouls, and ghost, and food which eats people, and there is no _way _I'm walking into that thick brush." Sokka screamed at the top of the lungs.

Azula sighed as she looked towards her head in defeat. She looked back up and considered the situation from a moment. She chuckled just a bit when she saw how Sokka shivered in fright. She turned towards Zuko. "And you call _me _the crazy one?" Azula asked with a mixture of sincerity, insanity, and humor.

A silence overflowed them. The trees seemed like they were begging to grow into terrible creatures. Azula however, saw no fear in the forest, as she herself, had a forest of insanity constantly growing in her brain. She then began to state her case to the petrified water warrior upon the great furry beast.

"Fine with me." Azula stated as she wielded her knives like a happy kitchen mother. "I'll let ya travel with us tonight. but like any great princess legend goes, at midnight, you shall turn into a pumpkin. And you know what we do with pumpkins right?" and with that, her voice dropped about 12 octaves, and a menacing tone was released. "_We carve them."_

"….well ok then." Sokka instantaneously replied with a hic-up of alarm in his voice. He hopped down of the air bison with tremendous speed. Then, once he landed squarely on his feet, he began to take off; slowly at first. His trepidation with the forest was tremendous. But as he kept eyeing Azula as she gradually tossed her knife like a nervous habit, he wondered how far she could throw the knife and still make contact with her target. He decided that he didn't want to wait to find out and he began to run at full blast. The dress was starting to tug against his legs, making him almost fall, and he was pretty sure that it was tearing. But that didn't matter. He was running for his life.

Azula shouted as the water warrior's silhouette disappeared out of sight, "Be careful out there, and watch out for giant locust ants!"

Azula hopped onto the back of Appa with a happy grin on her face. She seemed fluid and lucid and that nothing could stop her. Suddenly, she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She turned to slap the intruded, but instead began to calm down once she realized it was her brother. While she still wanted to kill him, the look that he imposed on his face made her slightly curious as to what he was about to say.

"Umm….is it-is it true th-th-that there's giant l-l-l-locust ants out…..there?" Zuko stammered quietly.

Azula shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me. I don't even know if there's another side to the forest or not. That's why I'm trying to get the hell out of here." And with that, she snapped the reins, proclaiming, "yip, yip," and her crazy crew took off into the night sky towards Ba Sing Se.

* * *

Zuko noticed that his eyes were gradually getting heavy as his sister kept flying across the night sky. He knew that it was imperative that he was to stay awake. However, a fire lord can only take so much insanity before it has its toll on the body. So, against his will, his body began to shut down and once they were over the serpent's pass, he began to fall asleep.

When he woke up, it was still dark out. It was cold. And he was naked. He looked up and saw his sister staring back at him in disgust. His body trembled in both fear, embarrassment, and from the cold. His skin began to prickle and that's when he realized that someone had cut into him. not deep enough to need medical attention, but scars would surely form, and the blood was beginning to flow rapidly.

He noticed his sisters blade dripping with blood, his blood.

"Don't worry, you're not dead….yet." His sister replied seriously with a laugh at the end. "Now, I'm going into the city. You two….wait here." Azula commanded.

Zuko began to rise up from the ground, when suddenly, an unknown force held him back. He realized as he looked to his left, that he was bounded by chains to a rock. His sister must've had a lot of time on her hands to do that, so much time that in fact, to pass it, she had to carve some unknown shape on his abs with her blade. Then, he noticed something else. Katarra was chained to the same rock right next to him. and she was screaming.

"HELP US!" She proclaimed without any reserve. Tears began to fall from her face. "HELP US! SOMEBODY! PLEASE!"

Azula rushed over and told the water bender to hush. She grabbed Katara's throat and began to apply pressure. The bender began to gag, and cough. Not enough air was flowing. Her surroundings were becoming dark.

"Listen lady." Azula whispered with much malevolence. "You're outside the wall now…._no one's going to save you." _

And with that, Azula struck the lady with the back of her hand, with so much power, that she caused her to pass out instantly. Azula turned her head and walked away without any remorse. Her sociopathic tendencies were at full drive. She was only focused on one thing; the plan. The plan to end all plans. The last plan that anyone would ever use. The plan to get her lover back. Of course, she stated once before that she didn't have a plan, but then again, Azula was allowed to be hypocritical once and awhile.

She jumped on Appa and started to fly over the walls. Fear, not love, followed in her path. It was as if a giant wake was being held, and Azula was assigned to spread the ashes. She would leave her mark most defiantly. The ashes would spread until the soul of the dearly departed was everywhere. The departed was her mind, and pain was the product of the ashes. No one would escape her wrath.

* * *

**Wow. I'd defiantly wouldn't want to be on Azula's bad side right now. She seems like she focused. Anyways. Sorry for the long update. Had a bunch of homework. Got a new girlfriend. School of rock just completed its fall season with the foo fighters, and we have just begun this seasons show. Our theme, 'DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!' I'm so freaking excited. **

**Hopefully most of you will get a chance to read the entire story. If not, that's why I leave it to the people who regularly read this thing to spread the news. Share with as many people as possible. And don't forget, PLEASE REIVIEW!**


	13. Master plan phase three: Maid of horror

**Hello everyone. I have finally returned with a brand new chapter for **_**A Method to the Madness. **_**It took me a while. Our school has finally started basketball and practice range all throughout the week for about an hour and a half each day. So finding time to type this was starting to become a bit of a chore. But, thanks to Veterans Day and half days of school, I had managed to type out this chapter. So without further ado, I give you the next installment in the exciting saga known as **_**A Method to the Madness.**_

* * *

Dear Beloved Friends and Family,

I have grown tired. I just can't take it anymore. This world has grown too complicated and too difficult for me to bear it any longer. I've simply decided to give up, and take my life into my own hands. I wish to say that I have no regrets as I leave mother earth, but, however, there is one pressing manner that needs to be discussed, and that is that my one regret, is that I won't make it to my sister's wedding. However, I have decided that I will send Azula, to take my place as the bride's maid.

Goodbye Cruel World. Hugs and Kisses,

Natsuki.

* * *

As she placed the pen down by the papers side, its tip still dripping with the slight residue of recently used ink, Azula smiled accordingly at her work. She was filled with pride and felt boastful. She had accomplished a fairly difficult tasked. She was rather astonished by how well she was able to copy that bitch's hand writing in one draft. There would be no need to do another. It was simply perfect. No one would suspect a thing.

And just as soon as Azula stacked her papers on the desk that was most certainly not hers, in a house that she defiantly was not welcomed in, the front door began to groan as it was opened. Footsteps could be heard echoing towards her if one tried hard enough to listen. Azula's smile changed itself into a more devious nature. 'It's time,' she thought to herself mischievously, as she hid behind one of the many nooks and crannies of the Apartment, watching her prey in the dark, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce.

* * *

Natsuki felt particularly tired tonight. No, wait. On second thought, saying that she was tired would be too much of an understatement. She felt absolutely drained of her energy. It had been a long and stressful morning, which feed right into an increasingly annoying and hectic afternoon. First off, the pig rooster next door that belonged to the neighbors didn't crow. She had always used its traumatizing half squeals/half crows to symbolize her wakening up. With that out of the way, she had overslept and was completely late for work. Then, as things progressed, it had gotten worst and worst. Her local market place apple and watermelon street vender had run out of decently prepared food. The meat shop was closed due to some argument that happened earlier which lead into a fistfight. She got hit on by some annoying teenage kid who was obviously skipping school, and she was even hit on by her boss at work. "UGGGH! Men are such pigs!" She thought to herself desperately as she walked into the bathroom. The only thing that felt good right now, was sitting on her cot and sleeping off today's excessive amounts of activities. And, she could actually sleep in. after all, today was Saturday.

But guess what? Oh no. she couldn't do that. Her sister had her stupid wedding scheduled for tonight and she, Natsuki, was chosen as the honorary bride's maid. At the time, she was the happiest girl in the world to receive the news. Now, she was the angriest girl in the world. The worst part about this wedding was the fact that it was being held, _at midnight! _Natsuki was one for using symbolism and nature and all that fun stuff for weddings, but couldn't have the vows been exchanged at an _earlier time!_ Great Spirits! She was going to have to either cut herself or slap herself to simply stay awake.

But she was knocking the entire marriage based on the fact alone. If truth be told, she was supremely happy for her sister. There was one majorly good thing coming out of this wedding, and that was the fact that Natsuki's sister was marrying a stinky rich man. People would object and say that this man that Terra was marrying wasn't "Stinky rich," But Natsuki didn't care. The guy was a doctor! And a handsome Blonde Doctor at that. The guys name was something like…..Mailto….or something like that. She didn't care at the moment. Once the knot was tied, Natsuki's family was going to be LOADED with cash. It was amazing. Natsuki would be a liar if she said that she wasn't particularly jealous of her sister. However, she realized that Terra was Marrying Mailto, and for that, she was happy.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder why couldn't of the wedding have been placed earlier in the day. She sighed in annoyance as she grabbed the comb which laid to her left on the surface of her sink. Her problems seized to matter at this moment. What mattered was the fact that she was the bride's maid, even more importantly; she was the maid of honor. And there was no way a maid of honor was going to show up at a wedding with flat hair.

Suddenly, she heard a noise that made her jump slightly. It was a scuffle of feet that ran along the wooden floor of her apartment. She stopped and looked behind her to see what was there, but the blackness of the dark made any visible sight of whatever scurried along her floor, impossible. What was it? A rodent? Some type of foul beast? She stuck her tongue out childishly and turned back to the mirror to work on the mirror. She didn't care. Whatever it was, it was distracting her from perfecting her beauty.

Then, all of a sudden, something caught her eye in her mirror. A reflection, of some sort, presented itself with a strange splendor. Something behind her, or so it seemed as deemed by her bathroom mirror, glimmered in the night as the moonlight struck it. It was bright and metallic, and very alluring to the untrained eye. Natsuki's eyes, however, were trained and a trail of shivers traveled down her spine in a distinct fashion. She automatically knew what it was that shone in the moonlight. It was a blade of some sort. But that struck her as odd. She didn't remember laying down a blade as she walked in today. Did she leave some silverware out or something?

Then, she saw a ghostly smile.

The last thing Natsuki remembered before she was knocked unconscious was that some unruly, ghastly, horrific creature jumped her from the dark; shouting with a vicious ferociousness as it tackled her to the ground, "_SURPRISE!"_

* * *

Azula examined her work yet again. The girl laid unconscious in the metal bathtub. Her head was bleeding somewhat, as when she feel, it collided with the wall of the bathroom. She would be out for quite some time. Not good in Azula's opinion. She needed to be awakened immediately. No sooner had this woman that Azula attacked fallen into the bathtub, did Azula began running cold water. She briefly thought to herself, 'Oh shit. Hope I didn't kill her. I need her for my plan,' before she began faze two of her operation.

* * *

When Natsuki woke up, she screamed. She found it hard to do so, as her noise came out as tiny bubbles. She was underwater, and she was being forced under by some unknown hand. Oxygen was running low and she found it not only hard to scream, but hard to breath as well. Blackness was beginning to surround her. Death was just a few more bubbles away. and no sooner had this thought crossed her mind, she was let up.

She coughed and gagged without any reserve. She had accidently swallowed some of the water as she was let back up. It was painful, but not as painful as the dull thud and burning sensation that ran along her skull as soon as she was let up. She automatically recognized that she had sustained a head wound. Why else would the water dripping down into her eyes seem slightly red? She was scared to death. Few minutes ago, she was focusing on hair styles. Now she was focusing on trying to survive. _What was going on? _

Suddenly, that evil forceful hand pushed her head back down in the water again. Once more, she was surrounded by blackness and her pleas for help were muffled by the water. Her eyes burned whenever she opened them because the water was so cold, thus, she couldn't get a good look at her attacker. Why was this happening? Why would anyone do this to her. More water entered her throat and she began to panic; realizing that if she wasn't let up soon, she would most defiantly drown.

Thankfully, she was. And when she came back out of the water, she wiped away the droplets that accumulated under her eyes. Then, she was greeted not by another hand, but this time, by and evil, nightmarish, demonic female voice.

"You know, when are you going to stop acting like a child, and just take you bath?" The voice sardonically exclaimed.

And _then _Natsuki was greeted with another trip back down into the pitch blackness.

She was let up once again after a good thirty seconds of frantic thrashing and bubbles bursting excitingly from the water. Just like last time, she was let up and welcomed by a scary voice. This time, however, she was able to get a good look at her attacker. It was another girl, about 26 or 27 years of age. She stood at the edge of the tube and her face could only be described as an insane scowl which revealed happiness and ungodly motives. She had long black hair, piercingly bright red lips, and eyes which danced liked crazy within her skull.

Natsuki's hear sank. Everyone in the four nations had at some time or another, saw a photo of the criminal and war crazy sister known as Azula. She just had no clue that one day she would be greeted by her presence.

"You seem to be a very popular girl," Azula remarked as she stared wide eyed and happily insane at Natsuki.

Just like her heart, her body sank as well with one last push from Azula's hand. She rose back up immediately and spat out the water in an amazing sputter. She found that her hands and ankles were bound in some kind of strong rope. She wouldn't be leaving the bathroom any time soon. That was for certain. And it was this fact alone that made Natsuki start to cry. She was going to die. There was no way out of it. Her tears feel down her face extraordinarily.

And for that, she was received with a slap to the face.

Her crying immediately stopped. She gazed at Azula, filled with fear and trepidation, and wondered why exactly did she do that. But then again, no one questions the crazy queen's motives unless he or she wished to die. However, Natsuki received an answer to that particular question, when Azula rubbed her chin in profundity, followed by a slight whisper.

"You look tired." Azula commented. "Tired of it all. You know, it's tough you know. It's even tougher for a girl like you. It's tough to keep your head above life's murky waters." Azula gazed out her hand and gestured her fingertips toward the tube, simply stating that the cold bath water, was just a metaphorical representation of Life's waters. She followed that up with, "I completely understand why you would want to kill yourself."

Natsuki blinked. "…..I don't want to kill myself?" she said with a surprised and confused tone.

Azula attacked her yet again; grabbing fistfuls of Natsuki's hair and dunking her back into the water. Azula however, made it distinctively sure that her ears were not submerged within the cold fluid. She had to hear what Azula was about to say. Whenever Azula speaks, _it's a matter of life and death. _

"You know," Azula shouted into the ear of Natsuki, whose face was buried in the water. "I'm tired of being selfish! I think I'll help you do it." She proclaimed as she let Natsuki back up again. The girl coughed and gasped for her breath for quite some time. Then, after her spell, she turned to Azula, dazed and confused. Azula sat there and examined her fingernails, rather board, but nothing could hide that devilish smirk. "It shouldn't be a stretch. I'm good at that sort of thing." Then she stood up, and began to prance around the room, searching for her precious items which she had stolen just for this occasion. "But the question is, how do you do it?" The psychopathic exclaimed. "I mean, after all, we wouldn't want you to suffer." She finished that sentence with a wink. "so, how do we end it?"

"I don't want to end it." Natsuki frighteningly shouted as tears fell down her eyes.

Azula's face stopped that vindictive smirk, and instead, plastered itself with a horrendous scowl. It spoke very simply, and quite clearly, to the poor girl being harassed in the tub. It simply said, 'Don't fuck with me.'

Natsuki shut up.

"I don't think we are high enough to jump out of a window." Azula inspected as she glanced around the bathroom for a window. She grabbed her first item which she had brought with her. On a conical side note, the first item she grabbed was in fact, not stolen just for this occasion. On the contrary; this item was prescribed to her by her doctors. "Maybe you can overdose on some sort of strange drug," Azula proclaimed as she shoved the experimental leaves and medications the doctors at Republic City Asylum had give to her.

Natsukis spat out all the contents immediately. They left a horrible taste in her mouth.

"No?" Azula called out playfully like a mother examining her innocent and sweet child who had just learned how to make a decision. Azula reached inside her dress sleeves, and spun about to small knifes in a stylish fashion. "How about, we slit your wrist." She lunged forward, blade in hand.

"Help!" Natsuki cried out as she was forced back into the water, not being submerged entirely.

"No need to scream. No one's coming to help. I killed the neighbors earlier." Azula informed her. "Just look at the knives."

Natsuki did so, and she noticed more blood. Droplets began to drip from the sharp edges, and onto the water, making the bathtub an even deeper shade of red. It was the neighbor's blood; possibly recently deceased blood.

She screamed yet again.

"No?" Azula proclaimed yet again as she wielded her throwing knives back into the insides of her dress's sleeves in a circus-like fashion. "Ok, ok. I understand. It's a little cliché for a girl to do that." She leaned forward and got no less than three inches away from Natsuki's face. "_You're a tough girl now, right? You need a tough and rugged way to go!" _Azula growled like a dog. Unexpectedly, her faced beamed with happiness as she turned around and grabbed her next item. It was a small can that only the wealthiest of the wealthy had. The four nations had now been testing this new sorce of fuel since coal was begging to lose its luster. It was thick, black and gooey; and supremely flammable.

Oil.

"Maybe you can set yourself on fire!" Azula said with a happy smile as she drenched the poor girl with the thick, murky liquid. This only added more pain to her head wound, causing her to gasp. She wiped way what little oil that had landed amongst her eyes immediately. She had to see what this insane woman was about to do next.

She was saluted by Azula's finger, flickering with flame.

Azula tried to move forward. Natsuki jumped back. Azula went to her left; Natsuki dodged and went to the right. Azula went right, Natsuki went left. She was dodging Azula at every turn. And when Azula just went straight forward, the smart and intelligent Natsuki simply blew out the light that danced on Azula's fingertip. It was basic survival instinct. It was working supremely well.

Azula sighed in anger and annoyance. "I'm trying to help here." She mentioned in a grumble. Slowly, casually, and in a somewhat disappointed manner, Azula stood up. With a menacingly loud and metallic shriek, a giant sword was revealed from the spot in the back of her dress. "Well, it's a little formulaic," the almighty princess groused. "But, you can always stab yourself through the heart." And with that, she tossed the blade into the bathtub. Water flew up with a small splash. It sank into the water immediately. It laid there for quite some time, before either one of the women spoke. Azula was the first to do so. "You see, there's one condition with stabbing yourself through the heart," Azula said. "And that is, _you _have to do it. Not me. I can't do all the work. Otherwise, that would no longer be suicide."

"But I don't want to commit Suicide." Natsuki exclaimed in a tired voice. She was about ready to pass out. Her head trauma was coming back.

"You spoiled brat." Azula stated as she folded her arms.

"But I have no reason to kill myself." Natuski made known nonchalantly.

"Aha! Exactly," Azula managed to say without her voice squeaking in excitement. The trap had been sprung. "So, it's not the 'How,' that concerns us. But it's the 'why.' I mean, why on earth would you, Natsuki, kill yourself on your sister's wedding day; especially when you're the maid of honor. I'm just shocked that you were planning on going through with this without telling anyone. I mean, what would your loved ones think? Not only is it unexpected, but it's also uncharacteristic. I'd even call it, _insulting!" _she finished her words with a gravely snarl. "Fortunately for you, I prepared this."

And with that, she turned back towards the bathroom sink, and grabbed her sheet of paper which she had written earlier. She sat it down calmly on the side of the tub, making sure not to get it wet and to not get it folded.

Natsuki stared at the paper, bewildered and shocked. She tried to read, but her earlier head injury had made everything almost like a blur from time to time. It was impossible. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's a suicide note. Duh!" Azula proclaimed snarky. Then, grabbing the pen that had recently been dipped in ink, Azula calmly commanded in a polite manner, "Please sign here at the bottom."

"But I don't want to kill myself!" Natsuki shouted at the top of her lungs. This whole situation was becoming unbearable.

"Umm, not according to this letter." Azula mentioned with raised brows, like a teacher pointing out the hypocrisies of a young student. She grabbed the paper. She made eye contact with Natsuki. "You said, and I quote," then she coughed as she began to read aloud from the paper. "'I have grown tired. I just can't take it anymore. This world has grown too complicated and too difficult for me to bear it any longer. I've simply decided to give up, and take my life into my own hands. I wish to say that I have no regrets as I leave mother earth, but, however, there is one pressing manner that needs to be discussed, and that is that my one regret, is that I won't make it to my sister's wedding. However, I have decided that I will send Azula, to take my place as the bride's maid.'"

And that's when Natsuki had finally realized why and how Azula came about to wearing a dress. Azula was wearing _her _dress. It was the bride's maid of honor's dress, and Natsuki had been left in the freezing water with nothing but her underwear. When she was passed out, Azula must have swapped closed.

Putting two and two together, Natuski said, "Is that why you're wearing my dress?"

"Oh you bet it is!" Azula proclaimed happily with a smile. "You see, I want to go to the wedding. But, I wasn't invited. And you just can't crash a wedding. You see, wedding are planned meticulously. There's always a cake to person ratio that no one wants to disrupt. But, with you out of the picture, that cake ratio stays perfectly in balance."

"THIS IS ALL ABOUT CAKE!" Natsuki screamed with every amount of strength that was left with in her body. She almost fell limp after releasing such extraordinary vocal power.

"Well, I do love wedding cake." Azula proclaimed fully.

Natsuki looked up at the deranged woman that was staring at her with complete content to kill her. On one hand, she could refuse. Yes, she could die, but she was going to die anyways once Azula stepped foot in her room. There's a saying amongst those who know about Azula, which goes, 'Once the queen gets her way, everything will go in dismay. But if you choose, to refuse, well you're gonna die anyway.' It was a matter of courage. Did Natsuki had what it took too stood up against Azula?

Nope. Like a frighten little rodent, she quickly jotted down the name on the paper.

Azula grab the paper and, very precisely, she folded in 4's before sticking it into her cleavage. She stared at the shattered human shell which once was Natsuki and patted her on the head like some sort of pet. "There, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

_DING!_

A loud, echoing, dull yet melodic thud could be heard off in the distance. Azula immediately recognized it. About 2 years ago, thanks to fire nation and earth nation co-operations, the Earth nation received a giant clock tower, which rang aloud the time of the day in a sequence of thuds. A certain number of thuds meant that it was a certain time. Azula began to sweat, and her eyes went wide as she counted the rings. It was 11:30 at night. The wedding was at 12:00.

She was running behind.

She was late.

But she will not lose.

She dashed out of the apartment as quickly as she possibly could. But before she did, she turned back around and went inside the bathroom. She stared at the shivering and scared body of Natsuki's. She trembled not only in fear, but in coldness. The room had grown very damp. And winter nights in Ba Sing Sae were most of the time, unbearably cold; even though it never snowed.

Azula showed sympathy and compassion. "You seem rather cold in there." She exclaimed as she produced a giant fire ball within her hand. "How about you curl up next to a great warm fire."

With a hypnotically evil laugh that could have ripped apart the very fabric of the universe, she chucked the fire ball at Natsuki and the poor woman immediately combusted into flames. The people who would later discover her body, would describe that she was "Burnt to a crisp." And that her face was hardly "Unrecognizable."

And Ironic way to go on such a cold night.

* * *

**Wow. Another chapter completed. This one in just one day. AMAZING! I'm getting better at these. It's late while I type this. I have to head off to bed. Not much to report. Please check out my YouTube channel: themetalman3. Don't forget to tell others about this story. And, most importantly…**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Hugs and kisses, lol. **

**Welcometofightclub. **


	14. Master plan phase four: homeless aid

**I apologize for the long wait. I had many other fan fictions to attend to and with Christmas coming up, family dinners have been keeping me away from my computer. Along with that, I'm a little dazed right now. I've just seen the film, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," and it's a total mind fuck. I swear to God, my brain was hurting from all those surreally graphic scenes. It's just DARK the shit that goes on in that film.**

**But enough about my pain, now it's time to reveal what happens next in the newest thrilling chapter for A method to the Madness. I hope you all enjoy. Here it is.**

* * *

The stars were particularly wonderful around winter time in Ba Sing Se. they always seemed to have a more lustrous glow to them when the days grew shorter and the nights grew longer. If someone were to lie down on his or her back, one could possibly count all the stars in the solar system. Now, even though Zuko was on his back at the moment, counting the stars was not his personal agenda. Rather, his focus was directly intent on escaping the clutches of the chains which he was bond to by the Rock outside the Earth Kingdom Capitol's outer walls. Both him and Katarra groaned in agony as they pulled the chains with all their might, and were rejected countless times from escape. The metal had started to dig into their wrists, and cause some severe bleeding to occur. It wasn't enough to faze them in the least, but it sure was a hell of a lot of blood. Pools of it were beginning to trickle.

As Zuko laid his sweaty moppy hair back onto the dusty ground beside the rock, as he looked up to the stars again in helplessness, he released a faint cry of humility, anger, and all around defeat.

"This is, by far, the worst night of my life." Zuko stated.

"Tell me about it," Katarra replied breathlessly in assurance and companionship. "I was planning on just staying home, sleeping with Aang, and going to bed. Being strapped to a rock on possibly the scariest places on earth wasn't what I had in mind on how to unwind from my stressful day."

"ugg," Zuko screeched again as he bolted upright, tugging with all his force to demolish the chains. Once again, he failed spectacularly. Falling on the ground once more, he proclaimed, "What are we going to do? I mean, we can't simply just call for help."

This struck Katarra in the most interesting fashion ever. "….well, why not?" she inquired curiously. "What's to stop us? Screaming may be our only solution."

Zuko tumbled around on the dirt like a wild animal as he tried to somehow silence the girl beside him. Massive dust clouds were beginning to form where Zuko started to kick up the sandy-like texture of the ground. If Katarra were to have screamed, she might've unleashed a hell that would've doomed them all. She had to know what was at stake here.

"The thing stopping us is my sister," Zuko forcefully and powerfully proclaimed with a stern voice. "I know you've fought her before, but you have no idea what tactics she can use against us. She knows this city better than we do."

"And that's just sad," Katarra interjected quietly.

"She's intelligent, vindictive," Zuko continued listing off the attributes that made Azula an opponent to be reckoned with. "And most of all, she's unstoppable. She will continue fighting until she has obtained what she quested after. She's cruel, forceful, and will never, ever, stop."

"That still doesn't answer my question." Katarra replied in a grunt as she tugged on the wrists cuffs once more.

"You have no clue how deep my sister thought this plan out," Zuko counteracted with. "I mean, what if she hired someone outside the walls to kill us if we were to scream. We don't know if we did or not, but it's best to be cautious. This is my sister we are referring to."

Katarra huffed as a strain of her hair fell, covering one eye. As she whimsically removed the hair from her eyes through breath, Katarra groused, "I'm starting to wonder who the paranoid twin is really."

Then suddenly, that all too familiar and recognizable animalist coo that belonged to Appa began to rang out in the night sky. Both the fire bender and the water bender's attentions were caught almost immediately. They started bleakly in the night sky, knowing that the princess of insanity had returned. And, apparently, she returned with a new outfit to boot. Because, when she landed and jumped off the hairy air bison, the two were not expecting Azula to be dressed as a bride's maid. Once her feet squarely struck the ground, she turned towards her brother with a mad smile.

Zuko answered with a scowl.

For some reason, this caused Azula to cock her head to the side; as if to wonder why her brother seemed so angry. She walked over in small paces; each one more excruciating than the last. Once she was in front of her brother, she began to speak. Her voice was laced with sarcastic sensitivity. "Why so serious?" she asked, fully knowing he was.

Stretching his arm one last to, to the point of unbearable pain, Zuko finally gave up on pulling the shackles, and fell back on his back. He glared at Azula with no intent whatsoever. He had no idea what to do, but his anger at this point was uncontrollable. If one were to take that factor into account, they would not be as surprised by Zuko's actions unlike Katarra, who gawked in horror as Zuko unleashed his anger and bared his soul upon his malicious sister.

"I'M SERIOUS BECAUSE I'M PISSED!" Zuko belted in utter sarcasm. Then, like any complainer would do, he listed off his excuses for his unhealthy attitude. "first of all, My wife and my best friend are all alone at home right now-"

Azula interrupted with a smirk. "I wouldn't say that. There is a certain device that's keeping them company."

"YEAH, A TIME BOMB!" Zuko spat back without reserve. Instinctively, he pulled on the chains once more. The metal dug into his skin brutally, causing more blood loss. Azula took note of this, realizing that if Zuko continued to do this, he would die, and that was bad news. She still needed him for her plan. So, instead of adding her own opinion into the conversation Zuko unleashed, rather, she stood back, and decided to let her brother fret out his frustrations.

"Secondly, another one of my best friend's is blindly walking through a dangerous, dark forest in women's clothing," Zuko continued, referring to Sokka and others as well. "I'm naked out in the moon light in one of the most dangerous places ever. I lost a lot of blood….."

Then, Zuko's eyes darted towards the wall. Even in the darkness of the night, Zuko was still able to make out shapes. Fire benders tend to have the best eyesight ever. Zuko was able to make out the silhouette of some strange man, crouched over himself, rocking back and forth, to a froe. Wondering if visual aid would add to his argument, Zuko gestured his head towards the strange shadow, and made note of it in his conversation. "And apparently, there's some strange homeless guy over there."

Azula darted her eyes towards the outer wall. She too did immediately spot the narcotic hobo silently yet manically calming his thoughts on the outer wall. She would never admit this, but a small part of her sympathized with the strange man. She was in constant emotional pain throughout most of her teenage life, and could understand where the homeless man came from. Suddenly, a small and meaningless thought popped into her head. However, being as insane as she was known for, she automatically latched on to this idea and placed it to the trial that was upon her with speaking to her brother.

"You're worried about him?" Azula asked in fake amazement. "I mean what's so troublesome about him?"

"All I know is that his presence scares and disturbs me." Zuko replied without thinking.

Azula mockingly gasped, and followed it up with an uproarious and hysterical laugh. "My. My," she said. "You're a man of the people and yet you are filled with prejudice." She stated with no amount of sickened thoughts upon this revelation. "how can you lead truthfully and fairly, if you fear one man over the other?" before Zuko could even have a chance to repent and explain his reasoning, Azula opened her mouth once more, and spewed something that caught everyone off guard. "You know, if I were you, I would offer that homeless man a job. It would be perfect publicity."

There was a momentary pause of shock, grief, and dread as everyone took a breath. It was one of those rare moments were people find stressful, yet calming time to recollect themselves amidst a crises situation. Then, as Zuko's mind reeled in the information he revived, he gave forth his argument. Strangely, he went in a completely different direction than what Azula was expecting to collect. His mind was stuck on the worst possible outcome of tonight's events: death. Realizing this and adding it onto what Azula had announced earlier, Zuko believed that she was going to kill him off, in placement of the Homeless man. Thus, why he feared this situation, and felt compelled to not 'give the man a job.'

"You can't replace me." Zuko stated in a low volume, yet with an authoritative tone. "You need us."

Azula replied to his rebellion, with a simple lift of her brow. "Really Zuzu," she stated like a bewildered and disappointed friend.

Then, she attacked.

She leaped down from her upright position in the moonlight, and grabbed Zuko under his arms, and yanked him off the ground with such force, that finally, the chains shattered. She held him up to her face, and stared down his yellow eyes, with her yellow eyes. It scared the living daylights out of him. It seemed as if Azula was staring into his soul. At this moment, she swiftly and quickly reached behind her, and in no less than a millisecond, one of the blades she brought along with her was up against his throat.

With a demonic growl which oozed saliva all over his face, she snarled out in rage, "Let me just show you how replaceable you really are." Then, tossing a stunned Fire Lord to the ground, she laughed, "Grab you clothes off the back of Appa, and come with me."

* * *

Daisuke was a bitter old man who slept on the outer rim of Ba Sing Se. his life never turned out the way he wanted it to. While that is a fact of life that most have to come to terms with, no one understood just how bad Daisuke's life had became. Within a simple 2 years, his life did a complete 180. He was now homeless had no job, no money, and barley any clothes. He worn the same disregarded shirt and torn pants for years. And he was cold, oh so very cold on this night.

His mind inflicted brutal mental torture upon his poor soul. This would happen occasionally from time to time. He would be carrying on about his day, moping along and sobbing contently, when his mind would start to provide vivid disturbing and graphic visions. Sometimes, these episodes were so intense, that he would occasionally scream. He knew that whatever was wrong with him was out of the ordinary, but he was not insane. _He was not insane! He just couldn't be!_

Suddenly, a newer and stranger vision approached him. This one was not laced in pretty patterns and surrealistic nightmarish colors. It did not contain that hallucinogenic swagger that most of his visions had acquired over the years. Rather, this one was clearer, and darker, yet not overwhelming. He saw two figures in the dark walking towards him. One was feminine and the other was defiantly masculine. The female shadow walked with a strange electric surge. Her strides were smooth, casual, and her steps defined the fact that she was on a mission, but it seemed as if though her body was reacting to everything in the air. The male shadow was timid. This shadow knew that something bad was about to happen; but acted as if though it was a normal occurrence. It still troubled the male shadow none the less, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was walking faster too, to keep up with the feminine silhouette.

As they got into the moonlight, Daisuke had obtained at that moment, a better outlook on the two characters. They obviously knew each other. They obviously were interested in Daisuke himself, and they were whispering back and forth. With the yellow light now shinning down upon the lady, Daisuke could vibrantly see that the lady was demented as he was. Then, he noticed her bright red lips moving, and his ears picked up sound. She was speaking to him.

"Hey you?" the lady asked.

Gradually, Daisuke stopped his constant rocking and began to stand. He greeted the lady with a bow and one of his signature almost toothless grins. "Yes?"

Suddenly, she launched forward, blade in hand. Daisuke had no time to scream. Metal was now touching his trembling throat. He saw nothing but yellow eyes and grimacing hatred growling in front of him. It was at this moment, that Daisuke had an epiphany. Maybe this was no vision like the billions before. If it were, he would've clearly died by now. No, this was too horrific and terrifying to be fake. It was real. This was reality….._or was it?_

"Do you want to die?" the lady with the yellow eyes barked viscously as she pushed the blade a little more, adding more pressure. She watched as the terror enveloped his face. She laughed in nostalgia. That's why she killed with knives. Tank fire and standard fire sometimes were just too quick, and one couldn't savor the little emotions that were released when one dies. In their final moments, people show who they really are. No more tricks, no more smoke and mirrors, just simple terrifying truth.

And Daiskue was no exception. Without hesitation, he proclaimed. "Yes!"

The 54 year old homeless beggar watched, as the lady's eyes changed their emotions. The animalistic rage had now shifted itself into standard curiosity. He felt the blade retreat from his throat, and he watched as the lady stood back, and began to stroke her chin. She moaned in curiously, and then asked, "Ok, now I'm intrigued. I usually don't receive this as an answer. Why do you want to die?"

Daisuke cleared his throat, and began his tear jerking sob fest of a life story.

"Well, about two years ago, I was fired from my job for inappropriate interactions with a female coworker. My wife left me after she found out about said inappropriate interactions with a female coworker. She took my daughter. Her last words to me were, 'I hope daddy burns.' After the divorce, the alimonies, and just the general lack of income, the earth nation took my home. You see, there's this minor thing I forgot to mention called, 'tax evasion.' It was only a simple misunderstanding. And I would've gladly paid them, it just slipped my mind, and then my house was slipped out from under me. I traveled with my friend, a cabbage salesman, and I use to sleep under his cabbage kart. But some fucking kid with a blue arrow on his head kept destroying the damn thing, and he eventually lost hope and left me alone to defend myself. I can't sleep, I sometimes have to eat random carcasses, and I live on the ground outside the wall. So…..yeah. Pretty much, I wish I was dead." Daisuke hung his head low, and didn't sob, but let his body shook as if though he were about to.

Azula smiled gleefully and patted this new stranger on the cheek. "What's your name?" she asked in an almost political tone.

That question was left in the air for a few moments as Daisuke tried to remember who he actually was. "…Daisuke." He replied.

Azula turned around and held her hand out in front of her brother. "Give me your coin satchel." She commanded.

Zuko did as he was told, reaching into the pocket of his tunic, (which was the only article of clothing Azula allowed him to wear), and pulled out the small brown burlap bag which contained his gold coins.

Without looking into her hands, she dumped whatever money that was in the bag, into her open palm. Staring at Daisuke, she asked with an almost ecstatic cheerful voice, "How would you like to make one hundred-"

It was at this moment that Azula's eye finally darted down towards her hand, and she notice just exactly how much money she acquired from her brother. With a cocked brow and a voice thick with disappointment, she turned to her brother, and stated, "2 Gold coins? Really Zuzu?"

"Hey, that's all I had on me when you attacked." Zuko made his excuse. "Besides, I have a large bank account."

She sighed and grumbled out an incoherent reply. Then, she turned back around to Daisuke, and made her offer. "Two gold coins?"

Daisuke looked rather befuddled at this situation and stared into Azula's open hand for a long time. He seemed as if though he was lost in a trance. When he looked back into Azula's eyes, she automatically recognized the hesitation. "…..I don't have to take my pants off do I?" Daisuke asked.

Azula chuckled darkly as she patted his back and began to make him walk alongside with her. "Of course not!" she replied. "You're going to help us document tonight's events."

"….what exactly will I be documenting? Again, I don't have to take my pants off do I?" Daisuke trembling proclaimed.

"Please keep your pants on," Zuko worrisomely ordered the strange homeless man.

"Get your minds out of the gutter, the both of you." Azula sighed in annoyance as she ordered the two buffoons.

"Well, I sometimes sleep in a gutter." Daisuke simply answered.

"Well, not anymore." Azula told him as they started to walk towards the giant beast out in the distance. The moonlight cascaded down its furry back, filling the homeless man with awestruck and wonderment. "You're going to remember this night for the rest of your life." Then, she broke out in a sprint, as she screeched at the top of her lungs, "LETS GO!" The men took off right behind her.

* * *

Azula felt particularly wonderful as Appa flew and back breaking speeds. In fact, all day she felt elated which was a rare commodity. The reason as to why she was so happy was mainly because she had no reason to feel doubtful and or disturbed at the moment. Things were progressing smoothly and every detail in her plan was in order. Things were going off without a hitch. And, thanks to Katarra's new found ability as well as Azula's own ability to fly Appa at the fastest he's ever been, they were keeping time. As she stared into the moon and measured its distance within the sky, she could calculate that it was approximately an hour until minute; until the fireworks. She was compelled to almost cheer. She had never felt so sure of herself in her life. It was a glorious moment.

And it would've last longer, only if Daisuke hadn't have cut into her 'happy time,' and ask her this question. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Azula stated, far off into the reaches of her own mindless abyss.

"Will there be danger?" Daisuke timidly asked.

Azula returned to the real world for just a second, smiling gleefully and laughing fully heartedly. She turned to the homeless man with a wicked grin, and proclaimed, "probably.'

There was a pause for the longest time as Azula savored the wind blowing in her hair. It blew violently and the wind itself made it almost hard for her to hear anything. That didn't necessarily bother her. She wanted to be lost in her own world for the moment.

But even though the wind drowned out most of the sound, if someone were to lean in close to her ear, she could pick out a whisper. Daisuke did just that, as the 52 year old man bent down, and asked so softly, "If there's going to be danger, may I have a weapon?"

Azula spun around and shot the most interesting face she had ever produced. She pondered Daisuke's request for a long time. Then, when the light bulb clicked on, she reached into her pockets, and pulled out a small mini Katana. "I don't see why not." She replied.

Zuko, witnessing, seeing, and hearing all of the motions transcribing before him, made his opinion clear from the back of Appa. "Oh, that's ok." Zuko sarcastically spat. "Let's give the homeless deviant who has a death wish, a weapon. Nice Idea sis! Hey, by the way, since the holidays are upon us, may I have a fucking spear!"

Azula paid no attention to the ranting and ravings of what she considered her idiot brother, and instead, watched as Daisuke's face lit up as she handed him the weapon. He grasped the steel in wonderment and his eyes danced with amazement. She smiled slyly at this reaction. She remembered her first time she picked up a weapon. Even at such a young age, she clearly realized how empowering it was to hold something that could kill. It was awesome.

"Feels great doesn't it," she whispered into the old man's ear. She was like the evil demon in his head, whispering naughty evil thoughts, resting upon his shoulder, guiding his inner darkness. "You feel like no one can say shit to you. You have all the power you need to get by. I bet you wished you had one of those when you lost your job, or your house, or your family, or you cabbage stand."

"It wasn't my cabbage stand," Daisuke told Azula as he played with the blade with in his fingers. "It was my friend's cabbage stand."

"That's not the point," Azula stated as she shook her head and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Zuko added his own two cents to the conversation, when he ordered the man, "Can you please stop spinning the blade around like a narcotic idiot?"

As Daisuke turned his head to face the fire lord, the blade spun out of his grasp, and fell off of Appa, tumbling all the way to the ground. Azula followed the blade as it plummeted towards the earth. She was about to tell Daisuke that he lost all his weapon's privileges, when all of a sudden, she saw it. LIGHTS! Glorious lamps lit up the pathway towards the religious ceremony. AND THE BUILDING! Oh, that beautiful sacramental building stood tall and proud.

"We have arrived!" Azula cheered as she jumped up and down without reserve, almost losing her balance. She patted Katarra on the back several times, loosing every bit of her viciousness, and politely asked her to land. This stunned the entire gang onboard Appa for several moments. But, decided to not inquire why she was so happy in fear of her evil self returning, Katarra landed the beast as she was ordered to do.

* * *

On the ground, Azula immediately hopped off and was about to make her way to the lamp filled pathway glowing in the dark. But before she did, she turned to everyone on the saddle and asked, "Well, how do I look." She gestured her hands all the way down and back up again through her bridesmaid dress.

Lying, Zuko replied with a smile, "Terrific."

Also lying, Katarra told her she looked, "Marvelous."

Not lying, Daisuke proclaimed, "Splendid."

"Aw, shucks guys." Azula said with a smile as she turned away and wiggled in sheer bliss for a few moments. She then looked back at the pathway before her and began to run in it's direction which it lead. But, just like before, she stood tall and still almost immediately and then made her way back towards the air bison.

"I almost forgot," she proclaimed as she reached into one of the pockets onboard the giant saddle.

Out of nowhere, a humongous sword unsheathed itself from the pocket of the saddle. As she gripped the end of the blade tightly, she smiled. Looking up at the astonished figures looking down, she proclaimed, "It's a wedding gift," and then ran towards the wedding.

Zuko's jaw was slack and held open for the longest time, as the firelord was simply spellbound. Then, without reserves, he screamed.

"WAIT! THERE WAS A BLADE ON APPA! _THE ENTIRE FUCKING TIME!"_

* * *

**And there you have it; the newest chapter of "A method to the Madness." I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope you pass this along to all your friends as well. Please review! Also, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.**

**With many regards,**

**Welcometofightclub. **


	15. Master Plan phase five: The Wedding

**Hi everyone! I'm back. It took me awhile to do so, but I finally managed to get around to typing the next thrilling chapter. And let me tell ya, I believe this is the longest chapter yet. There's so much to include in this chapter; so much to discuss in detail, and so much to explain. I hope you enjoy. Please review, please favorite, and for the love of God, if you can, share this story with everyone you know and tell them to do the same.**

**Also, please check out my YouTube channel when you get the chance. The link is on my profile. I've just done a cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom," and it was stellar. I believe that I may do Korn's "Falling away from me," as my next video when I get the chance. In the mean time, sit back, relax, and enjoy this new chapter.**

It's amazing how much noise when could produce with his or her own throat. In the case of Mai, she was simply just screaming at the top of her lungs. She belted out cries of fury and aguish as she tugged against the restraints binding her to the chair. Even with the gag over her mouth, he shouts came out clear as day. Her fear was crystalline solid. If there was anyone left in the palace with the exception of Aang, who was equally bound to the chairs, they would've obviously heard the distressing yells, and would aid the fire lady.

But that was the thing. They were all alone.

Half the guards left with Zuko to assist in his conquest to banish Azula on the ship ride to the island, the other half were easily fooled by Azula's letter, telling them that Mai had snapped and was now running about the enchantingly evil Sakura forest which lied between the earth kingdom and the fire nation, in the middle of the night. It didn't help either adding to the fact that once Zuko passed out, Azula placed Mai and Aang, along with the time bomb, in a small linen closet. They were cramped, they were close, they were near the vicinity of absolute death, and they were out of sight.

In layman's terms, they were screwed.

Some may ask, _well why doesn't Aang simply use his bending to help them escape? _Well that's another thing; Aang's bending abilities were defused. Azula learned many things from Ty-Lee during the war, watching her acrobatic fighting moves. Azula, through simple wisdom through osmosis, was able to strike Aang at the dead spot of his body, shutting down all of his behind abilities, and rendering him completely useless.

When one adds all of these factors together, it's safe to say that a moment such as this would turn anyone insane. It is surprising how long Mai lasted before finally surrendering to her inner doubts, and sobbing furiously in depression. Her eyes burned with sorrow and fear. She was dead; no doubt about it. Nothing could be done, and no one could be saving. They were going to die.

"Oh Spirits," she groaned in utter agony as the tears violently fell from her face. "I don't want to die, not like this."

Again, as stated before, even with the gag, her words could be heard clear as day, which is why Aang responded. "You're telling me." He proclaimed, not with remorse, but with bitter anger and a hint of regret as he gazed into the future that lied in store for them both. "The monks told me that an Avatar should die in honor. There's no honor in dying in a linen closet, with no way to bend my way out. It's very remorseful. But more importantly, it's disappointing. How will future generations look at us?"

"Disappointed doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling." Mai explained. "Right now, I'm a mixture of violent grief and powerful anger. I want to escape and kick some ass. But unless, somehow and in some way, we were to be discovered right now, we are going to die."

Aang was about to reply. But, at that moment, something peculiar happened. The door that was closing them off from the palace was reduced to a pile of ash. The room violently shook and the door became no more. Dust began to clog their vision. As they coughed at the dust filling their lungs, they looked towards the now opened doorway, and were perplexed with what they saw.

They were greeted with a feminine shadow. It was a small one, but a powerful silhouette as well. It was easily recognizable and it made Mai's and Aang's jaw drop in utter fascination and bewilderment. Who would of thought, that if anyone were to have saved the day, it would've been this 21 year old girl of royal blood?

"Toph?"

* * *

*meanwhile, at the marriage ceremony*

It's a common fact to note that time is a strange essence. A man or a woman can either have too much time on their hands, or too little. Time can be running out, or time can stretch vastly forever. Everyone knows that life is shot, but it's all in how life is perceived that makes out time either too little, or too much.

For Terra, bride of Mailto, who was suppose to have been wed an hour ago, time was both running long, and yet running out. Soon it would be midnight. Soon, guests of this wedding would start to leave. And yet, it seemed as if though the marriage was being held up for no apparent reason. People were becoming anxious. More importantly, _she _was becoming anxious, for, she knew why exactly the marriage was taking forever.

Her maid of honor, her sister, Natsuki, was nowhere to be found. She wasn't responding to the message hawks, there's been no trace of her in sight. She was more than late; she was being _a hold up. _This frustrated Terra deeply. The one day, the one day that she really needed her sister, she just couldn't pull through. Question was, why? Why would Natsuki do such a thing?

Part of her, the rational part of her, tried to reason that maybe it was unintentional. Maybe something had happened which caused Natsuki to be absent from Terra's marriage. But if that's the case, why was no one aware or informed of such a thing.

At this moment, Terra's father, Hajime, began to walk up towards her daughter. He leaned in his face close to her, and cupped his lips, making sure no one else heard what he was going to say to her. Terra always hated that about her father. He was so secretive, so insecure, and simply just liked to whisper his expression than actually _express _his concerns.

The first words from his lips, to his daughter were, "You're very beautiful."

Terra looked down at her bridal gown, and blushed. It was specifically picked by close friends and relatives with extreme and utter joy. It was a unanimous decision that _this _dress was _the _dress to end all _dresses._ It was short sleeved, lacy gown with a long tail behind her; elegant but graceful. At the same time, the veil was so thin that it almost seemed like there was no veil at all. Yet, when one were to of removed it, her face would rise in beauty, and she would look like nothing short, of an angel.

"Thanks daddy," she said as she wiggled in delight.

Her father, being a man of business, jumped right off this unneeded chit-chat, of focused on the upsetting issue. "What's taking so long?"

Terra groaned in anger. "Your daughter," she replied. "It seems as though Natsuki has shown me up."

"This doesn't make any sense," her father replied; again, with his head hung low and his tone in a whisper. "Your sister is usually not like this."

"I know, I know." Terra replied in a sigh. Then, she began to stare off in the distance. Her mind race with trillions of thoughts, and all of them were either making her angry, or sad. A silence fell amongst her and her father. Then, at that moment, Hajime suggested something that offended Terra greatly.

"Do you think we can start without your sister?"

Terra gasped in amazement. She was utterly flabbergasted. "Father, how can you suggest such a thing?" she whispered harshly and with surprise. "My sister is the maid of honor, she's needed."

Hajime shook his head. He laid a hand on her shoulder and expressed his views calmly and with a murmur. "Look around you, what do you see?"

Being an obedient daughter, Terra peer around her father's shoulders. It was a depressing scene, but a scene that was real and hauntingly true. People were getting tired. It was late and many members of the Wedding party were simply fed up with the wait. But what surprised Terra the most, was what these folks were exactly doing in this hold up. "I see people….frustrated people…_who opened the wine before the party."_Terra growled.

"Not only that," Hajime told his daughter, "But many are starting to leave."

As if on cue, a fellow by the name of Sadao, walked right up to the father and held out his hand. His complexions were nervous and sadden. When he spoke, his tone had an anxious tone to it. "I'm very sorry sir," Sadao spoke as he shook his head. "It's getting late and I've got to go home."

Hajime smiled politely and shook the young man's hand. "It's alright son," the man stated. "There's no need to apologize. I understand."

Sadao's expressions relaxed at that moment. His nervous washed away like a great flood. When he spoke, he spoke reassuringly and with a happy quality to his voice. "Thank you sir." Then he turned to the bride and shook her hand. She happily obliged and smiled greatly. "I just wanted to say before I leave, congratulations on your marriage Terra, and I wish both you and Mailto a very prosperous life."

"Why thank you," Terra said with blush enveloping her face.

Sadao let go of her hand, and then after nodding his head towards Hajime, again, expressing his deepest apologies, Sadao began to walk out of the worship hall.

Once Hajime knew that the man was a safe distance away, he expressed his hands towards the general direction which he walked out from. "See what I mean?" the father said to his daughter.

Sighing in despair, and swallowing her pride, Terra proclaimed, "You're right daddy. This wedding needs to start now."

"It should've started two hours ago," Hajime explained.

"I know," she breathed with regret. "But, better late than never I suppose. I'll grab my husband."

As Terra began to walk forwards, Hajime held out his hands to stop her. "Nope," the father demanded. "It's bad luck for the bride to see the groom on their wedding day. I'll get Mailto. But do you have any idea where he's at."

"Last I heard, he was in the male restroom with his brother assisting him putting on his suit," Terra told her father. "You go get him; I'll start leading the crowd into their seats."

* * *

"I could never get these atrocious things on," Mailto exclaimed as he struggled with his traditional wedding kimono.

Mailto's brother, Shuji, walked behind him and grabbed the two ropes that were to be tied and secured behind Mailto. As he did this, he chuckled in amazement. "Seriously? It's a simple wedding Kimono. And yet you, the smart half, don't know how to work it?"

"I never thought I'd be wearing one." Mailto described to his sibling. "More importantly, I never thought I would be wearing wedding one."

Shuji shrugged his shoulders in agreement. As he fixed up the outfit, Mailto stared into the reflection of the mirror. For some reason, which Mailto at this moment had no clue why, he looked distained. He looked distanced from the world. He almost seemed catatonic. Mailto rationalized in his mind that it was simply the nerves getting to him. He wouldn't lie when he said he had cold feet. Not to mention the fact that he never wanted to marry Terra in the first place. But when the Firelord commands you do to do something; you do it without hesitation, less you want to be thrown into prison. Zuko was a fair fire lord but still, he contained that passionate range of emotions that all leaders have; anger being his strongest one.

Shuji began to speak to Mailto as he worked on the Kimono behind him. Mailto watched his face in the mirror as he talked back. It frightened him that when he responded, he remained expressionless. Part of his brain was paranoid and feared that he was at the edge of a psychological breakdown. He had been through a lot this past week. Still, however, another part of his brain came up with a logical explanation, and tried ever so desperately to shut the frighten side of his brain, off.

Shuji smiled behind Mailto as he spoke. "I'm very glad you decided to marry Terra." He stated. "Man, the first time I saw you to together, I thought, 'what does my brother have against this poor woman, forcing her to date him?'"

Shuji chuckled and Mailto laughed as well, but his face remained stone cold serious as the mirror showed him who he really was.

"Terra certainly is,_ breathtaking, _isn't she?" When Shuji said this, he pulled the two ropes tight, causing Mailto to gasp for a second at the tightness wrapping itself around his stomach. He looked into the mirror as he realized that while he was laughing with his brother, he stilled did not smile.

Unbeknownst to him, Shuji recognized this concerned nature of his brother as well. So, being the humble yet polite one, Shuji gave forth some encouraging words of advice and comfort.

"This kimono is breathtaking as well," Shuji remarked. "But it still doesn't hide the fact that you're nervous."

Mailto hung his head low in defeat.

"But everyone's nervous," Shuji said as he began to stand. "Hell, even I'm nervous, and I'm practically doing nothing." Then, he placed a hand on Mailto's shoulder and began to pat his back. "Mind telling your older brother what's up?'

Mailto sighed greatly. The trepidation that was in his heart was unbearable. He had so many secrets that he wanted to expose, that the pressure could almost kill him. However, there are some secrets that one must hide in order to provide and claim a fruitful life. They say that the truth shall set one free. That maybe so, but lying allows you to hold the ones that suspended your freedom into slavery.

When Mailto spoke, his voice came out in nervous jitters. "Well…I-I-I-…..umm…Y-y-you kn-n-know….."

Being the older brother, Shuji was immediately able to translate. "Things are going to fast between you and Terra, aren't they?"

"Yes," Mailto proclaimed in a depressing sigh. He lifted up his head and stared into the mirror. Things were beginning to become more and more clear. The bags under his eyes certainly were not produce by lack of sleep, rather, by lack of peace. Mailto then decided to let go of his inhibitions, and he began to expresses his worriment to the understanding sibling. "I feel like I'm going extremely fast, and yet I'm standing still. Things are rushing by me so quickly that I don't know which direction I'm even going. And what scares me the most is that I fear I'm going in the wrong direction."

Shuji smiled as he told his brother a simple fact he was ignoring. "There's no need to worry about the direction you're going in," Shuji exclaimed with a reassuring grin. "I've seen you and Terra together and I know for a fact that you love her."

That's when Mailto, for the first time this week, finally expressed some actual truth. "But I don't think I love her enough to marry her."

This perplexed Shuji ever so greatly. At first, he was about to diagnose this proclamation as just cold feet. But when his brain registered the tone that Mailto used, he realized that there was no way his brother could've expressed his worriment so clearly. This wasn't fear. This was something far worst. Being concerned, he asked politely, "Then why are you?"

Mailto turned to face his brother, and for the second time this week, the truth was admitted from the doctor's lips. "I'm being forced to by Lord Zuko.'

In lack of a better term, Shuji was flabbergasted. His faced scrunched itself up into the most perplexing expression possible. It was impossible to recognize what Shuji was exactly feeling. His face looked as if though he had bitten into a very sour lemon tart. But one thing was very clear, and that was what Shuji was thinking._Has my brother lost his damn mind?_

The Spirits were on Mailto's side for the moment, and before Mailto was forced to commit treason by telling the entire story to his older brother, three knocks rang out into the bathroom from behind the door. Mailto walked towards it, and when opening it, he was greeted by the presence of Hajime.

"Hello Sir," Mailto awkwardly stated to his soon to be father-in-law. The man simply chuckled and smiled.

"Please, call me dad." Hajime stated.

"Yes dad," Mailto corrected himself as he too, smiled. "What seems to be the problem?" Mailto asked.

Hajime sighed bitterly at the news he was about to bring forth. "It seems as though Natsuki is not coming, so we are having the wedding without her."

Mailto's eyes widen in utter disbelief. His fear was increased, tenfold. "Right now?" he exclaimed.

Hajime laughed. "Have you worked up the courage yet?"

Mailto dropped his phony inhibitions and smiled. "Of course."

The father-in-law returned the smile with one as well. "Ok then," he stated. "You walk down that isle and wait for my daughter." Hajime told the man about to marry his daughter. "I'll gather up the guest and place them in their seats."

"Thank you sir-I mean, dad." Mailto replied with a blush at his mistake.

Hajime smirked. "You better get use to calling me that…..son." And with that, Hajime left the boys to their own devices.

Mailto grabbed the door knob and was about ready to leave. Before he did, he turned to Shuji, still looking at the grown in bafflement, and exclaimed, "Well, brother, wish me luck." And with that, Mailto opened the door. But before he could set a foot outside, Shuji asked, "Forced?"

Mailto stood in the door way for a long time. He didn't dare look back at his brother. If he did, all of his will to keep the secret going would shatter. His mind rushed to find an answer. When he found the perfect one, his voice was low, and sad in quality. What he spoke was the truth, what he stated was how he felt.

In the end, no one would know the real reason why he and Terra were forced together, except for Mailto, Zuko, and the psychotic prisoner that should be on an island.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Mailto said as he walked forward and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Okay everybody," Hajime announced to the audience. The group of people gathered to witness the marriage, immediately directed their attention to the father of the bride. Everyone came equipped with a wine glass, filled with the alcoholic pastime beverage. Some drank more than others, like Long Feng, who would not be directed into the asylum until 2 weeks later when his mentality finally crumbled; but, that's another story.

"Now, if we can direct your attention back into the worship hall," Hajime stated loudly, "I think we are going to try and do this again."

"What about Natsuki?" someone proclaimed within the sea of people.

"It seems as though she's a no show," the father proclaimed. "But that doesn't mean that we can't just go ahead with the wedding. Now, if you can please be escorted to your seats-"

And suddenly, out of nowhere, someone shouted excitedly, "Oh My Spirits! Junko's here!"

The fathers face brightened immediately. Terra, who was standing next to her father, rushed to meet this man and embrace him in a powerful hug. She was careful not to trip over her dress, and when she did meet him, she made sure that her hug didn't cause any harm to the gown.

Junko was a big friend of Terra's. They had met back in Ba Sing Se art club which conjugated every Tuesday at the old tea resort that Zuko owned. For some reason, to which she will never know, it seemed as if though Junko was big friends with the fire lord. Her evidence for this case was because every time she and the other artist met at that tea palace, Junko was always speaking with Zuko in hush-hush tones. But that didn't really amount to anything in the long run. All that needs to be stated was that when she and Junko met, they became the best of friends almost immediately. Junko was a fantastic artist, who loved drawing pictures of the surreal and stylistic nature of a mad man. He was an utter genius when it came to making hallucinogenic-like pictures. But not only that, Junko could write. He became an almost world renown and praised author, when he wrote and released the book, 'Freedom Fighters.' The book took place during the Great War, and the plot follows a group of kids who all lost loved ones due to the war. Because of this, they unite and form a misfit band of rebels fighting against the fire nation. Problems arise when the leader takes their fighting tactics a little too far, and starts harassing and killing all fire nation members, not just soldiers. The climatic ending, where Jet, the lead character, sacrifices himself to save the Avatar, left many readers, stunned, shocked, and incredibly sadden. It was praised highly and critics loved it. Even the Avatar praised how well the author wrote the book, and how the characters existed alongside the war universe, stating that, 'it was almost like Junko was there. The details were amazing and everything is in such a minute detail that I wouldn't be surprised if _he _was Jet.'

Junko had a rather lanky figure. He was skinny but muscle mass was present. His hair was a sandy brunette style, and his skin was a little darker than most fire nation citizens. But his most notable features were his brown, yet almost hallow eyes, and the piece of straw that he always chewed upon like a cigarette.

Once Terra let go of Junko, the man began to express his happiness. "My spirits Terra," he exclaimed giddy. "It's been ages. How've you been?"

"Never better Junko," she replied. "Never better."

"I only wish I was there for the ceremony," he exclaimed as he looked at her gown.

Before Junko could speak any further, Terra stopped him. "No…um…this is the ceremony."

Junko blinked twice in perplexity. He was confused. "I thought the wedding was supposed to be at 10:00?"

"Yeah, well, we had a slight delay," Terra explained. "My maid of honor hasn't shown up yet."

"Oh, that's terrible," Junko replied, expressing his utmost symphony for the bride and groom. "So I take it that you guys are going to start without her?"

"If we can get these people in a line and escort them to their seats, then yes," Hajime stated as he reached out and shook Junko's hand. "By the way, I just got around to reading your book, and I must say that it was fantastic."

"Well, thank you sir," Junko said with sincerity. "It's always a pleasure meeting a fan of my work."

"HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" A voice announced supremely loud. It was clear that this voice was directed towards Junko. As the man started to look for the source of the sound, the sea of people began to part. Drunkenly stammering along and completely off balance in his movements, Long Feng got closer and closer to Junko; pointing and cackling and criticizing the man in every form possible.

Junko hung his head low, trying to conceal his anger. It was no surprise that Junko hated this man. In the book 'Freedom Fighters,' the lead character Jet was brainwashed into submission by the Dai Lee, who is operated and ran by Long Feng at the time the book takes place in. Junko had always been an advocate of free speech and protest the use of immoral psychological practices. It should come as no surprise that brain washing and hypnosis are just two of the practices that Junko happens to hate the most. Long Feng, being the leader of the Dai Lee and a firm believer of brainwashing and hypnosis, became Junko's number one enemy.

The audience witnessing the confrontation between Junko and Feng had mixed emotions. Some were annoyed and disappointed at what was about to come to head. Others were anxiously waiting, hoping to get a good show. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Junko was always a great diffuser when it came to confrontations. That was part of the reason Terra and he became good friends.

"Well, Well, Well," Long Feng condemned rhythmically in his drunken sprawl and he tripped his way towards Junko. "Junko has finally decided to grace us with his presence? I really liked your book. I think my favorite part was the brainwashing scene. You know, that Jet character really reminds me of this guy I brainwashed long time ago. As a matter of fact, I think you look just like-"

That was when Junko made the best of a bad situation, by grabbing the man's drink, raising it high, and starting a speech to propose a toast. "Seeing as how someone has already taken the liberty of opening the wine, I'd like to propose a toast."

"Yeah, with _my glass!"_Long Feng drunkenly shouted in Junko's face. The stench of his breath was rotten and unbearable. It made Junko's eyes water. Shaking it off, Junko began again with his speech.

"You know, I was reading the paper a while back, and this guy interviewed the Avatar, and he-"

"Oh, the avatar," Long Feng abruptly and rudely interrupted Junko's speech obnoxiously. "It seems though our author here is going to say a quote. Quoting the avatar too, hmmm?"

"Yeah, cause I read," Junko replied to Feng with a smile. "You should try it sometime. I hear it's very good for you."

The crowd gave forth a nervous chuckle in agreement, and then Junko continued on.

"And the guy asked the Avatar how he and his wife stayed married, even though they married so young. And I'll never forget what Aang told the man. He said, 'love is patient, love is kind, love never counts wrongs, love loves all things, endures all things, and is in everything.' Seeing as how some people aren't patient and kind," Junko made another joke towards the drunken Feng, and the audience laughed once more. "I'd just like to say that Terra, Mailto…..wherever he is…"

"He's up at the altar, waiting for terra to walk down the aisle," Hajime told Junko.

"Well, I better not keep him waiting then." Junko said. "I'd just like to say that I hope your love endures all things and loves every day. To Terra and Mailto." Junko finished.

"To Terra and Mailto," the crowd replied, holding their glasses high. Then, after taking their drinks, they all began to make way into their seats. Everyone was starting to head into the chapel…

Except for Junko and Long Feng, who stood side by side, and stared into each other's eyes bitterly, for a long time. There was an awful dreadful silence between them. A massive fight could've broken out at anytime. The hatred and electricity between them was almost unstoppable. This had to be prevented almost immediately. And being the diffuser, once again, it was Junko who stopped the confrontation. But not before he got some few choice words in.

"Listen here you little shit," Junko said. "Never…_ever, _bring up my past again-"

"Or what Jet," Feng proclaimed.

Jet's gaze grew deeper and darker.

"Yeah, I know your real name." Feng grimaced evilly. "And I know people in high authority, who can make you hurt when I give my say so.'

"That makes two of us," Jet replied. "In fact, I know a certain someone who's going to get me Mailto's job."

"That's impossible." Feng stated. "Mailto was appointed head advisor and psychiatrist at the Republic City asylum. How are you going to get his job?"

"I have my ways," Jet said. "Let's put it at that."

They stared at each other for a few more gruesome seconds, before finally, Long Feng grew tired of his hatred, and decided to take a seat and just enjoy the wedding.

"See you around…Jet." Long Feng told him as he walked off.

Jet stared into his glass and took some more sips of the intoxicating drink, hoping the blurry phase of alcohol would help him survive the idiots.

* * *

Mailto and Terra stood together, hand in hand, and looked softly into each other's eyes, as the wise monk began to marriage ceremony.

"To all the friends and relatives of these two young lovers, welcome to the marriage of Terra Nova, and Mailto Samate. These two have made their vows, exchanged their rings, and fasted for 8 weeks, with nothing more than their love to keep them alive. And now, the day has finally arrived, for these two to become one spirit, inhabiting two bodies. If there is anyone here, who has any objections on why these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold you-"

_**SLICE!**_

The crowd screamed.

* * *

*outside the shrine*

Zuko was getting antsier by the minute. He had no clue what was going on in the build which now his sister inhabited. Nor, did he have any clue what Azula was intending to do once she was inside. However, he realized that whatever her intentions were, with a sword as big as the one she was carrying, it certainly wasn't good intentions. But the biggest factor contributing to Zuko's elevated height of stress was the fact that he had absolutely no control of the situation.

"Oh Agni Ki," Zuko groaned loudly in both horror and nerves. "What's going on?"

"I have no clue," Katara proclaimed as she wiggled in anticipation as well.

Meanwhile, Daisuke began a conversation with Zuko minutes ago, asking how this girl was. When Zuko told him his and her identities, it was safe to say that the homeless man was shocked. "So, you're the fire lord," Daisuke began.

"Yes, I'm the supreme ruler of the fire nation," Zuko stated.

"And that girl with the yellow eyes is your sister," Daisuke stated.

"Yes," Zuko told the old beggar.

"Than….what is she doing here?" Daisuke asked.

This was the question that caused Zuko to snap. Rarely did Zuko ever go back to one of his infamous temper tantrums, but this time, however, he lost his mind and yelled at this man without reserve. "I don't know, ok!" He screamed. "I'm just as clueless as you are. But what scares me the most is the fact that she carried that big sword with her, and I have no clue what-"

At that moment, Zuko heard screams; screams of terror, trepidation, and fear all coming from the same place; the shrine.

Zuko turned his head towards the shrine. As he did this, he caught a glimpse of Katara making her way inside. Knowing that by doing so would lead to immediate death; Zuko sprang off Appa as fast as he could possibly could, and rushed out to grab the waterbender. Once he did so, he placed her in a headlock, dragging her back by the heels of her feet. She screamed, and kicked, and at moments even bit him. She shouted, "No! No Zuko! We have to help them! We Have to!"

"We can't!" Zuko replied with tears in his eyes. "It's us or them Katara. Us or them."

Suddenly, the ground before them began to shake. It seemed as though they were caught in the midst of an earthquake. But once Zuko realized that a strange noise was coming from the east, he turned his head that way, and was greeted with a fantastic surprised. He saw a shadow of what appeared to be a great wave of earth, like mountain,_moving_towards them. On top of said mountain, was a feminine figure, who Zuko clearly recognized, and was baffled by her presence.

"Toph?"

* * *

*Inside the temple*

Blood has a rather strange color. Sometimes, blood can be bright scarlet red. It can shine furiously like lava and be as soluble as water. Other times, blood can be as dark as night; king crimson red, and about as thick as honey badger honey. It's safe to say that the blood spilt on the floor behind the monk was neither crimson nor scarlet, but in fact, it was pink; mainly because, more of his brain than he blood fell out of his skull when the blade punctured through his forehead.

After the metaphorical dust gave way, and once the screaming of both the crowd and his beloved Terra died down, Mailto noticed the figure standing in the middle of the isle. She wore a beautiful dress, made fit for a queen. She stared directly at the ground, making her face completely hidden from Mailto's eyes. The audience shook in their seats in utter fear and anxiety for what may come forth due to the presence of this malicious lady figure.

After gasping and breathing heavily for a few moments while staring at the carcass that use to be the monk, Terra turned around stared at the figure as well. She noticed something oddly peculiar about her. Her dark hair was almost in tatters, making her resemble a lunatic. But what caught Terra's attention the most was the dress. She recognized that dress before.

Suddenly, it clicked.

"Hey, that's my sister's dress!"

The figure looked up and gave her vampire-like smile.

Mailto turned pale white. Tears streamed down his face faster than ever. His face didn't scrunch or meta-morph itself as he cried. It stayed constantly the same; mouth opened in shock, and eye wide with terror. "Oh….Why! Why You! Why now!"

Hajime, picking up on his daughter's earlier comments, was filled to the brim with vindictive anger. With steps unknown to any man, the old veteran made his way over to the lunatic with powerful marching steps. As he did this, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "WHO ARE YOU, WHY ARE YOU HERE, AND WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER!"

Once he was finally in front of her, she replied with a viciously slap to the face. After receiving this blow, the old man counteracted with a punch. Azula dodged that, and kneed the man in the stomach, breaking a few ribs. He fell to the floor, still alive, but with blood emitting from his mouth.

"_NOW THAT'S ENOUGH!"_Mailto screamed with a tone unlike any other.

Azula was awestruck for a second. She had no clue that the doctor could produce so much anger. All games aside, for a moment there, she was legitimately frightened. However, she shrugged this off immediately, and gave forth her snarky smile. She looked down at the feeble old man withering and trembling in pain on the floor, and deemed it appropriate to address him.

"To answer your question," Azula stated. "She's dead."

Terra started to cry. Her mental walls came crumbling down. The dark cruel world that was reality had pushed her to the limit, and now she was sobbing. It was too much to handle. For Mailto, it was too much as well. But instead of reacting sadly to the news, he reacted with hatred and rage. "YOU MONSTER! YOU KILLED HER DIDN'T YOU!"

"Oh no," Azula replied, with her playful satire of someone who was shocked. "It wasn't me. I swear it wasn't my doing this time. She killed herself. And in fact, she sent me to take her place." Reaching into her cleavage (making eye contact with the doctor as she did so), Azula pulled out the note and tossed it to Terra. She reacted frightened and jumped as though Azula was tossing her something hostile. But once it landed at her feet, she timidly picked it up and scanned what was written. Her eyes dawned from frighten, to curious. And her voice fluctuated in the same pattern.

"This is her signature." She stated bewildered.

"What?" Mailto asked out of breath as he ran to her, and read the note from her shoulder.

"Dear Beloved Friends and Family," Terra began the note. "I have grown tired. I just can't take it anymore. This world has grown too complicated and too difficult for me to bear it any longer. I've simply decided to give up, and take my life into my own hands. I wish to say that I have no regrets as I leave mother earth, but, however, there is one pressing manner that needs to be discussed, and that is that my one regret, is that I won't make it to my sister's wedding. However, I have decided that I will send Azula, to take my place as the bride's maid. Goodbye Cruel World. Hugs and Kisses….." she finished the note completely dazed. "Natsuki."

Mailto looked up at her, fully knowing that though the death seemed like a suicide, that it just had to be her bidding. Azula retorted with her signature evil grin. She turned to the audience and gave forth a gaudy and flaunting speech. "Now, when someone gives you an offer like that, you simply can't turn it down. It's a big tradition to inhabit; the Bride's maid. You can't have a wedding without a bride's maid."

Then she unsheathed her sword. Many individuals in the audience jumped, but then stayed still; feared that if they began to ran, they would die. Even Mailto was a bit edgy and jerked as well when the glimmer of the blade came to view. Terra was different, however. Still emotionally distraught with the entire situation happening before her, she stayed knelt to the ground, staring at it, flabbergasted.

"In fact," Azula pointed out as she moved around with the blade. "In the good old days, the maid of honor would stand in for the bride if for some reason," she made her way to the back of Terra, who still didn't face her. She raised the blade.

"The bride were to die,"

And she let the blade full, plummeting towards the woman's back. It struck, severing several nerves and puncturing a kidney.

The audience ran. They ran out of the building in light speeds. There was no way they were staying around to die as well. Even the father, Hajime, crawled away from the scene as fast as he could. He didn't even try to protect his daughter. Eventually, however, in the chaos and confusion that Azula created, he was trampled and died due to a blow to the head.

Terra's breathing began to shallow as she flipped over and stared into the air. Mailto sobbed uncontrollably as he rushed to her side. He forgot about Azula's presence completely, blocking her out of his mind. In that moment, there was only him and his dying wife. His brain began to hurt. Violent feelings of pins and needles puncturing the inside of his skull began to take hold. Emotional distraught, he realized, was an animal that could wreck the very fabric of man. And it did so with him, as he held on the hand of Terra, and cried uncontrollably.

"Please!" He proclaimed in vain. "Please. Keep breathing. Don't go."

Azula knelt down as well, and said "Yeah, don't die on us."

Terra did what both Azula and Mailto told her not to do. Her breathing stopped, and her heart exploded, and as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, she died on the spot.

Mailto was going to react with fury. He was going to punch Azula, he was going to kill. He wanted vengeance, he wanted blood. His life was now ruined. But then, something peculiar happened. If a psychiatrist were to have witnessed Mailto at this moment, he or she would've concluded that he went completely catatonic. Basically, thoughts, emotions, and personal suffering whizzed by his brain in break neck speeds. Eventually this became too much, and something in his head, audibly snapped. Mailto saw white, and then…..nothing. For the old Mailto was no more.

Azula turned her head towards Mailto, with a sarcastic grimace across her face, about to proclaim another off hand joke that she was accustom to say after killing someone. But when she saw Mailto in the state he was in, she stopped. His eyes were big, yet empty. All the sadness and confusion of the world was within those eyes. But she knew that he wasn't thinking. He was just being. He was now nothing more than a human vegetable that could intake and exhale oxygen without aid.

This disturbed her greatly.

"No, no, no," she told him in agony, knowing that nothing she was saying would get through to him. "Don't do this to me know."

He still stood there kneeling, staring at her, emotionless and thoughtless. His eyes were hollow with depression. Azula knew the pain he was experiencing. She, at one point, went catatonic herself. The irony was that t_he,_ doctor Mailto, brought Azula out of that state.

My, how the tables turn. For at this moment, Azula needed to take him out of _his _state.

Gently cupping his cheeks, she pressed her forehead against his. For the first time, Azula's voice was calm, soft, and wasn't filled with anger, sarcasm, sadness, or vindictiveness. She was being sincere. She needed him to listen. She needed him to come back. She was what kept her from ending it all. He made life just too much fun.

She _loved _him.

"You know," she began quietly. "You look like you really need to start another relationship."

_**CRASH!**_

Azula sprang up at the ungodly sound. Something forceful and powerful had destroyed the door from the outside. Wood splintered itself into a million pieces. Glass shattered and splayed itself all over the floor, making the most angelic sound strike Azula's ears. But the force of everything combined caused all the candles of the temple to blow out, leaving in pitch black darkness, at the mercy of whoever was attacking.

This frightened her. It frightened her even more, when she saw the shadow of a particular earth bender.

"Oh no."

A giant slab of rock threw itself at her, striking the lightning bender in the chest. She flew back and struck the wall viciously. However, she did not get stuck. She bounced back off, and noticed a door to her right which led to the basement. As the Earth bender chased after her and bending more rocks her way, Azula ran by the door, opened it, and closed it behind her. Stupidly, she took post there, thinking she could hold this crafty 21 year old at bay.

Big mistake.

She bended a large stone and forced it towards the door. This knocked Azula off her feet once it struck her entire back, and she fell down the stairs. She sustained damage to her head and arms, but otherwise, she landed at the bottom of the basement with minor scratches and some deep cuts.

Before she could even get back up and evaluate the situation, she was grabbed by her collar, yanked up, and pinned against the wall. It was here she began to laugh.

"Hi Toph!" she exclaimed happily.

The 21 year old earth bender's face came into clear view. "How did you not disturb me while I was sleeping?" she growled with anger.

"I really don't know how to answer that," Azula replied with an insane laugh. "Guess I'm just lucky as you see-_oh wait! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Toph, offended by the comment, lifted Azula back and slammed her against the wall even harder, causing the back of her head to bounce off the stone. She groaned in pain for a bit and realized without checking that blood was beginning to pour. But that didn't matter. She was winning, and so, she began to laugh once more.

"Long time no see isn't it Toph!_Hahahahahahaha!"_Azula proclaimed. Again, Toph lifted her back and made her head bounce off the stone. This time, the wound was inflicted much harder, and it became deeper. This troubled the fire princess somewhat.

"Ok, will you stop with that? It's actually starting to hurt." She proclaimed.

Toph kept one hand on Azula's throat and squeezed tightly, while the other hand reached out to the ground and bended a sharp puncturing object to her hand. She held up the object for quite some time, and held it right at Azula's face as she spoke.

"You know," Toph began. "Aang told me that he had only one rule; don't kill anybody. But he wanted me to let you know, he's thinking about reconsidering it."

"You can tell Aang that if he really wants to, than he can go ahead if he thinks it will help." Azula replied. "In fact, if it bring you pleasure, just do it yourself Toph. Because in the end, the only difference between me and the rest of the gang is," Azula then leaned in very close to Toph's face making sure her voice would be heard. "Just one, really,_bad day!"_

_**BANG!**_

At that moment one very large blunt object, which appeared to be the leg of a chair, flew up against the back of Toph's head, rendering her unconscious. Azula stood there, above the sleeping earthbender, dumbfounded with what just happened. She looked up trying to recognize the figure who threw the chair leg.

She was greeted with the presence of the catatonic Mailto standing in front of her.

"…..oh no…no, no, no, no, no." Azula began her tirade as she started to lose her temper. She paced back and forth across the basement of the temple. Her mind, like Mailto's was before, began to race against her will. Finally, grabbing the shoulders of Mailto, she screamed into his face, "DAMMIT! THAT WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN!"

Again, he just stood there, empty.

She noted the other chair leg which he held in his hand. Because he obviously ripped it off, she took the splitter-y side and held it against her neck. She placed Mailto's hand upon it, and directed him to pull it across her flesh, making him slash her throat.

He didn't' respond.

"C'mon! KILL ME!" she screamed into his face. "I just killed your girl, your job, and your social life, the least you can do is kill me."

He still stood there with empty eyes. She dropped the chair leg and grabbed both sides of his head. At first very roughly, but then, as time wore on, she became more tender with him, eventually cupping his cheeks softly.

"Or am I all you have left?" she stated passionately as she got closer and closer.

He nodded his head 'yes'.

"Ahh," she exclaimed in an all knowing manner. "You finally recognized my plan. Do you see a pattern emerging? Do you see_a method to the madness?_Now you finally understand. My Method has always been love. Mailto, I_love_you."

And then she kissed him, hard and fierce.

And much to her surprised, he kissed back.

Then, a sharp seething pain traveled from her wrists to her brain. She automatically released that something just cut her. She fell to the floor, grasping the wound, and looked up at Mailto, amazed at what just happened.

"….I obviously can't make it look like the fight between you and Toph was too easy." Mailto responded.

Something caught Azula's attention with the way Mailto spoke. His voice was the same yet somehow, different. Was it possible side effect of post traumatic stress? Or was it something more?

"Are you Mailto?" Azula asked.

"Of course," he replied. "I'm just….different now. Quite insane really. I think I just fell in love with one of my most psychotic patients."

Azula laughed lightly at that comment. "So, you finally fell for me." She said with butterflies fluttering within her stomach. "Question is…why?"

"Same reason you fell for me," Mailto replied as he took a seat next to his new love. "You're all I've got left to hold on to." He stared off into the distance again. "I'm never going to be the same Mailto again. I'll have the memories of the old Mailto, but I'll never have the same expressions as him."

"Pity," Azula stated out of breath. "I rather liked the old Mailto."

"You'll get use to it," Mailto told her. "Much like I'll have to get use to you being my new girlfriend."

"Lover," Azula corrected. "Lover."

There was a small silence that fell amongst them. At that moment, Mailto heard Toph trying to snap out of her unconscious state. Knowing that their time together will be short (until the next time they met), Mailto gave forth his last words.

"You know what they say about Karma right?" Mailto told her, rather than ask her.

"It's a bitch." She replied.

"Yep," Mailto stated as he turned his head to her, and began to smile, staring deep into each other's eyes. "Karma was just inflicted upon me today, and soon, for what you've done, it will be inflicted upon you too. And when that day comes, I'm not going to help. Instead I'm going to laugh, and laugh, and laugh."

Azula smirked. "So will I, pudding, so will I,"

And with that, they kissed one last time, deep and passionate and filled with both love and lust, before parting ways.

As Azula rushed up the stairs and out of the temple, clutching her bleeding arm, she realized that while she had obtained her goal, there was still one more phase of the plan that she needed to go through.

* * *

"**Can you feel, the love, tonight?"**

**Horrible Elton John impression. It's sort of hard to impersonate people on paper.**

**And there you have it, the newest chapter of AMTTM. I hope you guys enjoyed and please be prepared for something BIG, to happened in the next chapter. I'm not going to give any spoilers, so feel free to let your imaginations run wild. And while that's happening, please remember to share with everyone you know, favorite, and most importantly**

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**With many regards,**

**welcometofightclub.**


	16. Master Plane final phase: Fireworks

**Hello everybody. I am extremely sorry for the long update. My life was doing some pretty magnificent things recently. First of all, I had auditions in California for a pilot, (I didn't get the part, but whatever. At least my name is out there). Secondly, I have several gigs set up. Anyone live in Cleveland, Ohio? The band I'm in is playing at the rock and roll hall of fame August 11****th****. That should be awesome! Along with multiple tests, a school play, and a new YouTube video (a link to my channel can be found on my author's page), I've been so busy; I rarely had time to type. Not to mention, this computer is slow as F*** due to some internal memory storage base problems. But, I'd rather not complain anymore, and instead, I think it's time we get back to the exciting action that is **_**A Method to the Madness.**_

* * *

She ran towards the giant beast, stumbling as she did so. She didn't know why she was tripping over her own two feet at the time. Maybe her fight with Toph left her more damaged than what she assumed. But that ceased to matter at the moment. Her plan was falling into glorious action. There was only one more phase to the operation; one more task, that required doing, less the mission was to be a failure, and Azula _hated _that word.

Blood trickled down her arm as she grasped the wound tightly. She noted that due to Mailto's poor cutting skills, the doctor had struck a certain muscle in her arm; rendering her unable to fly Appa. A pity as it was, for she would've flown the animal like an animal as well. She needed to arrive back at the Fire Nation Palace as soon as possible. However, in the grand scheme of everything, her wound was just that, a simple wound. The hostages could fly for her. So, screaming as loud as she could, she commanded, "Katarra! Get on Appa and get us out of here, now!"

Katarra, who stood on the ground with Zuko (who was clutching her tightly to keep her from running into the temple), wanted to strike out and lash at Azula. After all that she done to them, and all the pain that she put innocent people through, she wanted to stop her evil night of terror right at that moment. A woman like Katarra could handle many things. But tonight, her boundries were being crossed and Katarra was at the point of breaking. However, noticing the arm, and the viciousness of Azula's facial expression, she lost all resilience and rushed back to Appa.

Zuko stood by silent and bewildered as Azula rushed passed him and onto Appa. He was utterly dumbfounded and confused with the scenery of events he was witnessing. _Where was Toph? What had happened to her? Why is Azula in even more of a rush? Why is she cut? What is going on? _All these questions, and much more rushed passed his mind as Azula rushed passed him. Luckily, the nudge to his shoulder as Azula knocked into him was just enough shock to bring Zuko back into reality. He took his seat back upon Appa, right next to Daisuke, as the monster took off into the night sky.

As Appa flew, Daisuke noticed all the damage that was inflicted upon Azula. Knowing that she would need some assistance, the old man stated, "You need some help? I use to be a doctor."

Azula shot the doctor a look, as if to say, 'are you kidding me?' and the man immediately went about his work patching the wound with thread from her clothing.

* * *

The flight was pacing itself rather nicely; according to Azula's standards. Flying at breakneck speeds, the group really had to _hang on for their lives. _ Azula smiled as this happened before her. Soon, they would be home. Soon, Zuko will witness his demise. Soon, he will realize his fatal mistake. Soon, she will win. Soon.

But in light of Azula's triumph, there was also devastation and anger; mainly coming from Katarra, who was piloting Appa. She was losing her grip on her emotions. Tears began to well up in her eyes as her anger came into a boil. Finally, all that tension and stress broke right when she passed the dark Sakura forest. She remembered that this was where, just at least an hour ago, she witnessed her brother go blindly into the night forest with no possibility of ever coming back. It made her weep, which caused her to pilot Appa fiercely. She yanked on the ropes, causing the beast to come to an abrupt halt. Everyone onboard was shaken and thrown a few feet forward. Luckily, no one was thrown off.

Azula rushed back to her feet and in a fury, ran to Katarra and clutched her hair tightly to the point of pain. "What in Agni Ki was that?"

Zuko's chest swelled with anger as he almost stood up to attack his own sister. But then, out of nowhere, Daisuke acquired a sword and placed it against the Firelord. Zuko was caught off guard by this action. Daisuke in reality didn't know why he was helping the princess. At this point, his paranoia and delusions were most defiantly, _delusional_. Zuko almost wanted to push the old man out of his way; thinking that his skills with a sword might possibly be nothing more than minute. However, not wanting to risk that chance, Zuko sat back down, and waited for Azula to make the wrong move.

Meanwhile, as Azula held Katarra by her hair, the waterbender continued to cry. "Aww," Azula spat sardonically. "What's a matter with the baby?"

She snapped.

Turning her knees, she gained leverage and swiped Azula's own. The crazy lady fell on her own hide and once this happened, Katarra pounced. Landing several quick, vicious, and horrendously brute punches to Azula's face, she screamed in anger, "YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A BIG BULLY!"

As the blood poured from her broken nose, and as her teeth were being grounded to powder, Azula laughed. She laughed even more, in triumph, when she successfully blocked a punch by grabbing Katarra's wrists mid-strike. She countered with a punch of her own, sending the water bender backwards. Zuko jerked at this motion, and again, wanted to help his friend. However, he was still pinned by the sword against his chest held by Daisuke.

As Katarra lay sprawled on her back, Azula secured her wrists behind her with ropes, cackling while she did so. Katarra's frustration got even worst and the bender began to cry some more. Once the ropes were tightly bound, Azula tossed Katarra around till she was facing up at Azula again. She sat against the girl's lap; pinning her. Katarra's eyes know widened with fear.

"A bully huh?" Azula proclaimed as she pulled a knife out from her sleeves. She held that knife against Katarra's mouth. "Let's discuss bullies shall we. I even have a story about some." Then, leaning forward, staring bleakly into Katarra's eyes, she said with malicious intent, "Wanna know how I got this scar?"

The water bender began to sweat.

Azula pulled back, and fiddled with her knife, as she told the story.

"I use to love fishing," she began. "I fished all the time when my family would go out by the beach. But I could never get the little worms, on the hooks. So one day, while the folks were away, these bullies, decided to show my how it's done. And they took their fishing rods, took me out to the end of the dock, and they placed hooks in my mouth. And then they _threw _me into the water, and _reeled me back in! _…but don't worry. This story has a happy ending. Wanna know what I did to them? Later that night, while the folks were asleep, I went to their cabin…..with same twigs and branches. I started a fire, which engulfed their cabin…_AND THEY ROASTED!..._so, from then on, I decided that I would never have, to deal with _little worms ever again."_

At this point, she lifted her knife into the air, and was just about to bring the blade down, and plunge it into the heart of Katarra…..

When suddenly, something caught her eye. Out in the distance, something small, red, and bright shimmered into the night. She also noticed that whatever it was, it was getting closer. And on top of that, she soon realized that there was more than one of them. Torches, as it were, were heading their way. But who could possibly know that Azula was out here, in the dark, lonesome sakura forest.

When the voice echoed, Azula released a disappointed sigh. "AZULA!" Sokka shouted out in the distance. "YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY FIRENATION GUARDS! DROP THE WEAPON NOW!"

Katarra began to cry even harder, though not from pain or sorrow did her tears originate, but of laughter. She was now the one laughing in triumph. "He's alive," she blurted out. "He's alive."

Zuko's eyes widen at this prospect. Rescue was here, and with rescue came sanctuary. He would be at peace at last. But first, he needed to get off Appa. Knocking Daisuke over in a tremendous burst of energy, Zuko ran wildly towards the guards, screaming, "I'm innocent! I'm innocent."

Time for Azula was beginning to slow down. Vision was beginning to blur. Everything at that moment was starting to turn her dream into a nightmare. Her heart rate quickened, her pours oozed with sweat. It is during these moments that a person experiences a 'flight or fight,' reaction. Azula was a mental patient, a former princess, and a powerful firebender with amazing abilities.

However, when the guards readied their arrows, she chose flight.

She, along with Daisuke, immediately hopped off the backside of the saddle as the arrows wiped passed their heads. Once they collided with the ground, there was one motivation; run to escape. Escape what? Arrows? Death? Whatever they needed escape from, they decided to do so at that very instance, and Azula ran as fast as she could. She ran faster than she ever had before in her life.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Appa, Sokka rushed onto the creature and attended to his sister's needs. "Are you alright?" he asked in a powerful and assertive voice.

She clutched on to her brother tightly. She laid her head down onto his shoulder, and cried without reserve. "You're back. You're alive. You're ok. You're ok." She repeated these words over and over as tears violently fell from her eyes. Her entire body shook, in need of oxygen. But her constant crying deprived her of that oxygen. She couldn't help it, but she repeated these words over and over again, for she couldn't believe it was true. He was alive, she was alive. And there was beautiful, perfect, and absolute truth in the words Sokka said at that moment.

"Everything is going to be ok."

* * *

Back in the forest; way back in the forest, Azula and Daisuke caught their breaths. They hid behind two rather large tree's both adjacent horizontally from each other. Azula needed to think fast. Nothing was going according to plan. In order for her master plan to become a successful one, she needed to oversee every step of the operation. She needed to be with her brother. She needed to see him break.

And there was no way she could do this from a thousand yards away, hiding behind some tree. She needed to regroup with her brother. But how? She needed to improvise her way back into the group. What she needed was a disguise. What she truly needed, was inspiration.

Inspiration came, when off in the distance, both Daisuke and Azula noticed the sound a twigs breaking. "What was that?"

"Probably some guards." She stated aloud, not fully comprehending the words flying from her lips.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her skull. A mischievous grin emitted itself across her face. This would be perfect. No one would notice two guards coming back from the woods. Even better than that aspect, was the fact that no one would care. In everyone else's eyes, it would just appear that two guards rejoined the group. She needed a way to reach Zuko, and behold, this was her way; to disguise herself, along with Daisuke, as Firenation guards.

She slowly crept out from behind her tree and took shelter against another tree a few feet away. She stalked her prey as she did so. Luckily for her, the dark forest became even more abysmal and indistinct due to a slight fog forming in the air. She could still spot the two silhouettes of the guards slowly pacing themselves towards the trees. They looked rather small for guards, and quite frankly, due to their body language, they appeared to be nervous. Perfect.

As time passed, she inched herself closer and closer to the guards. Her smile grew wider and wider, and her thoughts grew even more evil than they were just a few minutes ago. At exactly ten minutes of stalking, she attacked. She lashed out from behind a tree, and threw a shuriken, striking one guard in the throat. As he collapsed, and as the other guard stood petrified and paralyzed in fear, Azula jumped out towards him. Unlike his counterpart, his death wasn't necessarily so quick and sweet. Instead of cutting, she decided she would rather like to use blunt force at that moment. Taking advantage of the thick bark of one tree, she dragged on guard by the ears and slammed his face repeatedly into said tree until his entire face appeared to have either exploded or imploded. Either way, he was dead; quite dead. This brought Azula no remorse, but internal happiness. She was thrilled. The plan could now continue on.

* * *

She gave Daisuke an outfit and told him to place it on. Sucking in air, along with courage, Daisuke placed on his uniform and both he and the psychotic princess made their way back to the crowd of guards up ahead. As Azula and Daisuke hid themselves amongst the people, the crazed lady realized that it appeared the guards were awaiting orders. Orders for what, she had no clue. That is, she had no idea until Sokka called for everyone's attention.

"Alright everybody," Sokka proclaimed. "Here's the plan. Azula and the old man could still be out in the woods. As long as that is apparent, Ba Sing Se, the Firelord, and most importantly, the people, are not safe. So we will divide into search parties, and search these woods up down, forwards, backwards, and sideways too until we find these two misfits. Bring them back, ALIVE! Even though they broke the law, it doesn't mean we have to. Now, any questions?"

Azula raised her hand on that moment. Sokka pointed towards her, and she spoke. "Sir," she said in an unrecognizable voice, which would've impressed actresses everywhere. "Wouldn't be best if we take the Firelord home? He's been through a lot sir. And by taking him home, we are also taking him away from the forest, thus, we are taking him far away from Azula."

"Good idea," Sokka commented. Pointing at Daisuke and Azula, not knowing who they were, he appointed them the task of taking the worn out Zuko home. The rest of the group broke off into their subsection and started scavenging the forest, looking for the criminals.

After a while, all that was left on Appa, was Zuko, and the two guards to which he owe internal gratitude to. As Appa rose into the air, Zuko gave forth his hand, asking for it to be shaken. "I am truly and deeply grateful for you assistance young man." Zuko stated just like a passionate leader. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Easily," the guard said, losing her fake voice.

Zuko's heart sank. His eyes widen. His breath hitched, and his brain hurt horribly.

Azula took off the mask, smiling an evil grin which struck a very deep and dark spot in Zuko's soul. "Go to sleep." She commanded.

Zuko passed out, obeying his orders.

* * *

When he woke up again, he found that he was on hard ground. Distinctly, he recognized this ground as the plaza in front of his palace. It was metallic by nature, but was in fact marble that was crafted by Toph to look like metal. It had a dark crimson red tone to it, and looked amazingly well, complimenting the palace itself. That palace stood in front of Zuko at an angle, and it was at this moment he realized that he was still on the ground. He rose up, and as he did so, his vision lost its ambiguity and came into crystal perfect view.

He studied his surroundings, and immediately noticed his sister standing upright, still in costume, minus the mask. She stood tall and proud, and in its horror, she also stood happy. She smiled as she stared at the palace, and for a few moments, Zuko didn't understand why.

But then he remembered. _The time bomb, _his brain shouted.

Zuko tried to stand up as fast as he could, but his beaten and tired legs caused him to stumble and fall back down. Azula heard this, and directed her attention to Zuko. "Glad to see you're awake."

"What time is it?" Zuko involuntarily asked as he stood up again.

"It's about 5 minutes till midnight." She announced. "We made perfect timing on our little trip. Thank god Appa is a fast little beast."

Zuko could hear a iron bell go off in his head when his deranged sister announced what time it was. In 5 minutes, the palace would explode, killing not just the Avatar, but Mai as well. Mai, his precious Mai. His one true love. How could Azula, his won twin sister, do this to him?

_Because she's no longer my sister, _his brain retorted back to him as he stood firm. _She's a monster. _But this was not a time to contemplate sibling rivalry and family problems. This was a time for action. Rushing towards his sister, who stood with her arms crossed, Zuko stated, "You must stop this. I did everything you asked for, and you promised me that-"

"Not everything," Azula interrupted. Zuko shut his mouth close, knowing that the sooner Azula made her point, whatever it may be, the sooner, his wife could be rescued. "I have some questioned you need to answer. And you better answer them honestly. You know how much I hate liars."

Zuko audibly gulped at this prospect. He shook off any worries through that gulp; knowing that if all he had to do was answer some silly question, then this should be a breeze. But anyone who knew Azula knew that nothing was ever simple with her. It was complicated and filled with conspiracy against both her and whoever conversed with her. However, Zuko forgot all this and focused all his attention on answering her questions. "Shoot," he replied.

"Do you love your wife?" Azula asked with a low and dramatic tone.

"Yes," Zuko replied back without hesitation.

"Do you love your wife more than me?" Azula asked with a smile on her facing, hoping it would cause him to stall.

Unfortunately for her, it didn't. "Yes." Zuko answered immediately. Then, loosing himself into a fit of rage, he began to shout out a long rambling rant. "YOU HONESTLY DRAG ME TO HELL AND BACK AGAIN AND EXPECT ME TO STILL PROCLAIM YOU AS MY OWN? I HATE YOU AND I WISH FOR YOU TO DIE! YOU HAVE NO CLUE HOW HAPPY I A THAT YOU'RE NO LONGER BEING BANISHED!"

"So no island?" Azula asked with a smile.

"NOPE! IT'S THE GALLOWS WITH YOU!"

Azula laughed. So far, so good. Her plan was just a moment away from becoming a dream come true. She just needed her partner to hold up his end of the bargain. In the meantime, there was only one more matter to be discussed.

"Lastly, do you love me more than that precious hospital I go to?"

"yes," Zuko replied.

"The sell it." She commanded.

Zuko was awestruck by this prospect. "Sell it, but how?"

"Mailto is the proprietary chief of staff at the hospital, correct?" Azula asked her brother. Before he could open his mouth to reply, Azula added more to her statement. "This means that Mailto owns the hospital, correct?"

"….yes." Zuko said. After much thought, he realized that his sister was right about Mailto's position in the asylum. But what he didn't understand was why such a position and who that position belonged to such a dire importance to his sister.

Then she made her motives clear. "Then bring in a new head doctor. Fire Mailto."

Zuko didn't know how to comprehend this. This whole time, this whole mission, this whole fiasco was all because she didn't want Mailto as a doctor. Why did she cause so much trouble when Long Feng became her doctor? Whatever difference it made, in the long run it didn't matter who ran the hospital in Republic city from now on. Azula was to be put to death tomorrow, and any problems caused by a new owner could be situated after his sister was long gone. "Fine," the fire lord stated. "Where must I sign?"

"Oh, you already did." Azula said in a matter of fact tone. "Right when you woke up on Appa and I had you signed those papers, you signed away Mailto's job."

Zuko's jaw dropped. Azula smiled and walked towards the dumbfounded leader and patted him on the shoulder. "That's not all you signed, but I won't go into details." She turned them towards the palace, and spoke with a smile bigger than any smile she ever produced in her life. "Because if we do, we might just miss the fireworks."

The clock struck twelve.

The palace exploded.

Zuko screamed. He screamed into his voice went raw. He screamed until his sanity disappeared, along with his hopes, dreams, and his love. His best friend; dead. His wife' dead. Both were taken out in one dramatic and cataclysmic explosion. Debris flew passed them, all soaked in flames, and all carrying with them every last ounce of Zuko's life. Memories were flushed down the metaphorical toilet. His life was now no more. He became a broken shell of a man, with no love, no friends, and no feelings whatsoever. They died along with his wife.

But just then, just like the explosion of the palace, another explosion took place inside Zuko's heart; an explosion of anger. He hissed, losing all power in his voice to scream. He spat blood. He jumped up, and punched his sister in the temple as hard as he could. When she fell on the ground, he took both of her ears in hand, and using them as handlebars, made damn sure that his sister was passed out by the time he was through with her.

As blackness seeped into her vision, Azula could only think of one thing. _I did it. I did it._

* * *

**Whoa. That was intense. So I'm hoping you all stick around for the next chapter. Plot threads and loose ends will be tied up and I promise that everything will be explained. I'd like to thank you all for reading this far and hope that you read more soon. Please review and give me your honest opinion. Again, I'm fairly sorry that it took me so long to do this. Life can be just about as frantic as Azula's nature, or even her **_**method, **_**if you catch my drift. The next chapter will be posted sometime in April. I'm pretty sure about it this time. **

**Please share with friends, please read, and above all else, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**With many regards,**

**Welcometofightclub. **


	17. The Equation: The End: The Beach

**Here it is. The Finale chapter. All will be revealed, all will be tied in, and all of it will blow your mind….hopefully. Again, sorry for the long wait. Summer just rolled around for me so I gave myself a much needed break. Plus, as you all well know, Korra just started and it's FUCKING awesome! I stand by my statement when I say that so far, Korra is looking BETTER than the Last Airbender. Yeah, I said it. Who wants some! C'mon? *holds up fisticuffs***

**No, but in all seriousness, the show is spectacular. The voice acting is good, but there were some moments here and there which kind of threw me off a bit. But whatever. It's still very good. And what really holds the show together is the design which screams of steam punk, and the action which screams old style Jet-Li mixed in with alternative filming tactics and experimental camera angles. Bei Fong is GOD! And Bolin is funny! **

**So, with Korra out, I guess its perfect timing for me to put up this story. Not just shelf it, but burn it as well. This is it, the official last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed the experience as much as I had, and although this story is gone, please send it to all your friends on the interwebs. I'm sure they'll dig it. **

**Without further ado, here it is.**

* * *

When she awoke, she found herself in a padded cell. For some odd reason, the walls comforted her. Year behind padded walls caused her to be accompanied by them. She got up off the ground, and studied her surroundings. It was a small padded cell that much was certain. Unlike her first experience behind these walls, she did not react so violently. She did not feel the strangling grasp of claustrophobia. Instead, she felt calm, at ease, and in fact, a little bored of the situation. She began to pace back in forth in her cell.

Meanwhile, outside the cell, two guards watched over her. And in the time span that she paced her cell, she knew the guards based on observations. She overheard conversations between the two, and picked up on key details. In approximately, two hours, Zuko would arrive back to his post. This confused her greatly. Had her brother watched over her while she slept? But this also amused her as well. Did he have to be taken off of her by force? Did he beat her to a bloody pulp in rage and transgression? She wondered how her face looked, and unfortunately for her, the only mirror present was the window between the cell and the dark room which lied beyond.

There was nothing to do really. In the old days when she was in a situation like this, she would concern herself with tiny details to malevolence plans. But now, she had nothing to be concerned about. There was nothing to fret over. Her grand master plan worked. And soon, her employer would arrive to work out the last little details. She was in the free and clear. She thought she could sleep. She more and well deserved some rest.

But just as soon as that thought crossed her mind, her two hours were up. She was brought back by the sound of the door outside her cell violently opening. Through the window, she saw that a ray of light was bestowing itself onto the room which the guards stood post. Behind the door frame stood several silhouettes of vaguely recognizable figures. It wasn't until one of these shadows spoke that she smiled hideously in wicked mischief.

"You're free to go." Zuko told the guards.

_And so it begins, _she stated in her head with juice and vile content. She was so happy that he could arrive; it made her heart swell with hope. If Zuko was here now, that meant her employer wasn't too far behind.

The rest of the figures moved into the black room while the guards began to exit. Azula, through her pacing, was able to mark a few key figures. Toph was there, Katarra was there, and even Aang was there. The whole gang was here to greet her. _Oh how quaint! _She thought.

Once they took their seats, their faces could no longer be seen. It wouldn't have mattered as long as one of them was to have spoken up. But that was the problem. They entered and objected with nothing but silence. Silence was all that befell from their lips. Silence was in all abounds. Silence was pecking its way into Azula's skull, driving her absolutely mad (as if she wasn't mad before). And it was this silence that finally, caused her to crack.

She looked out the window, and asked in possibly the most polite manner possible, "So how's everything with you Zuzu?"

There was a momentary pause, before the former banished prince, now Firelord, stated his piece. "You failed," he interjected. "My wife and Aang were realized from the palace hours before the bomb went off and were in the asylm being taken care of by doctors."

"How ironic that the one place which was safest for them," Azula replied, "was an insane asylum."

"I don't know what you were going for." Zuko said. "Whether it was for me to hate you, you succeeded in that plan long ago. If you were intending on killing Mai and Aang, you failed miserably. And I am not sorry to inform you of this."

Azula licked her lips and looked at the ground to her left, her eyes dilated with deep thought. She could just image him, sitting down in his own special chair, grasping his own precious wife, holding her tightly, comforting her and keeping her shielded from the horror that lied beyond the window. She felt like an animal at a zoo; on display for simple mockery of her natural nature. It filled her with vile and hate.

Then, she saw Sokka. In the dim light, his brown face gleamed with effortless monotony. He was not amused by the whole situation. In fact, it looked like the water warrior wanted to be somewhere else. Azula hated when someone felt excluded from the crowd. She thought she would talk directly to him. Get him involved, and possibly more into the situation.

"Aren't you going to thank me Sokka?" Azula asked with a decent smile.

Sokka's ears picked up and his neck twitched towards the window. He was positively certain that he was not going to be involved in any way, shape, or form. Now, out of nowhere, she asked for his response.

With a degrading 'hmph,' Sokka replied. "For what?"

"For Killing Suki."

The room turned cold. Sokka's balled his fists up; hard. He wanted to knock her lights out.

"I mean," Azula continued. "With Suki gone, you now got thousands of women to hook up with." She grinned and then chuckled darkly. Her eyes scanned the room and immediately, they fell upon Toph. "I got several coins saying that Toph will be Sokka's next squeeze."

Sokka rushed the window and smacked the glass. His animal nature and hatred overflowed. Azula began to laugh. Sokka continued striking the glass. "I'll kill you!" he proclaimed through clenched teeth. Katara and Toph both dragged his arms to pull him down. He pulled back, freeing his arms, and shocking both Katara and Toph. He looked around the room, unashamed, and filled with anger. With a gruff, almost incoherent whisper, Sokka proclaimed, "I'm leaving," and did just that.

Once Sokka left the room, Zuko spoke up again. "I think you should show us a little bit more respect." Zuko countered, pulling his wife even closer to his chest. "As of right now, we are not even supposed to talk to you. The new chief of staff contacted me through a letter stating that no one was allowed in your observation room. I say f-him."

"That's the spirit," Azula stated with a smile. "Because nothing in the letter ever said I couldn't talk to you."

Zuko continued on with the flow of conversation, but his brain picked up on the subtext of her ramblings and stored it in his subconscious, to pick at his brain and haunt him for years to come. _Did she actually read the letter?_

A silence, once again, struck the crowd in the dark abyss. Azula spoke up once more. "Did any of you here the joke, about the room of onlooker who got shards of glass in their stomachs?"

_Sick creature_ was the only conceivable thought running through Aang's head.

"It's a particular favorite of mine." Azula continued.

"We don't want to listen to your jokes." Aang told her.

She stared down the Avatar with slanted eyes of pure seriousness. "When I tell a joke, you better pay attention," she commanded. "Otherwise you might miss the punch line. In fact, you might end up _being _the punch line."

Again, the room went to a freeze. All activity shut down. It was as if she had killed a baby bunny before their very eyes.

"Oh come now," Azula proclaimed as she stepped back from the window. "Don't fret. Please, allow me to explain something that I've always wanted to unfold." She continued to step back and observe her room. She did so with a smile and a glimmer in her eyes. Truthfully, what she said was what she felt. She wore no masks. She was who she was, and she liked who she was. She was insane, and insanity befriended her long time ago.

"You know…I missed this place." She exclaimed happily with a sigh. "It's unfortunate that soon I will have to leave, but I'm glad that you and the new advisor decided to let me stay for the night. It will be nice to allow me one last time to sit back and watch the crazies' role in. you see…you think that it was only till the wars began that we were separated. But oh no…..no…..the battle lines were drawn long ago. As for the new republic city, the lines are starting to reveal themselves. And soon you, Aang, the police and maybe even some non-benders will cross those lines….with a little help from me of course. There's no denying it."

She leaned into the glass and breathed heavily, causing mist to apply itself in front of her face. With ager and bile rising in her stomach, she growled demonically, "This, Is, War."

Then, she stepped back once more, and continued her speech. "And I'm right where I wanna be. You see, Zuzu, you've got your palace to go to when everything starts to crumble. As for Aang, you my dear can outrun your problems. Appa is a fast little beast. But me, I have my spirit. And my spirit is passed on through remembrance of me. For those who remember me, carry my spirit. And my spirit _infects _and _spreads_ like a virus. Soon, I will be amongst you all once more, even long after I'm buried six feet under. There's no need to be alarmed. I'll stay put for now. But whenever you feel me beginning to rise up within your stomach, whenever you feel the need to scream in terror, or laugh chaotically, just know that it's my doing. Just know that I'm the reason you wake up at night with sweat all over your body, and urine all over your sheets. And if my spirit, if _I_ ever feel the need to come back into your world, if ever you need to jump off a building or slit your wrists just because you've received some compelling notion to do so, just remember one thing."

She leaned against the glass again. "The reason you want to die, is because I'm the one holding the knife." Her voice got darker. "I tend to get what I want." And then, with her last few words, she screamed them, banging the glass with each word.

"DON'T, TRY, TO, STOP, ME!"

Silence was amongst them once more. This time, the silence was dreadful for both parties instead of one. It filled them with not only fear, but anxiety.

"I'm sorry," Azula said. "Am I making you all nervous?"

"…..No." Came a frightful little peep from the corner of the room. Probably Katara.

Azula shook her head and switched gears, from vindictive to loving, and gave forth a warm and loving smile. "That's ok. As I said, at this particular moment I have everything I need. Fear rooming, one last meal; all due to our great new benefactor."

At that moment, the door opened once more. A new shadow presented itself.

"Speak of the spirits." Azula commented.

Zuko was rather shocked to see the new owner of Republic city asylum so soon. And judging by the way his face distorted into a scowl, he was not happy to see Zuko either. Slowly, the gang rose from their chairs to greet the man. He looked harsh, hard, and cruel. But maybe it was just for the moment. After all, he specifically told them NOT to go anywhere near Azula. And here they were.

So he said it again. And when spoken, the words had much more impact than they did when they were written.

"Leave the room," came the solemn, cold, powerfully commanding voice.

"Now you listen to me," Zuko objected.

With more power added, the new owner looked him straight in the eyes. "I said, leave the room, _now."_

Out of nowhere, Zuko sensed a feeling of fear and danger. Aang picked up on it as well, and before anyone else could pipe in, the Avatar exclaimed, "Ok. We are leaving," and the gang proceeded to do just that. The owner watch as each member fled out the door one by one. His eyes shot back at his subject, who smiled at him behind the glass. And finally, the door shut behind Toph; the last one to leave. It was now just him and her.

Perfect.

Now they could finally get down to brass tax.

He made his way to the side of the padded cell, where a door was all that stood between Azula and the outside world. He fumbled about eagerly with his keys till he found the right one. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and eyed Azula intently, but not with a motive of neither harm nor fowl nature. He only stared because he cared.

"You'll have to forgive Zuzu," Azula made light talk. "He just….is that way. You know?"

"Oh believe me, I do," the new owner replied. "Run into trouble?" he asked concerning her mission that she was compelled to complete.

"Wouldn't be me if I didn't." Azula replied. She stepped forward just a bit closer, and with a whisper she asked, "Did you hold up your end of the bargain."

The owner, her employer, sighed. "It wasn't easy." He explained. "Mailto has a whole bunch of screws loose up in his noggin when I found him, thanks to you of course."

"It's my specialty." She bowed filled with self-confidence.

"But," he persisted. "I managed to finally make him agree to get on board the ship. Once he realized that you were going to be onboard with him, I think he decided to tag along. He seems to be very smitten by you."

Azula's face broke. With curiosity in her voice, she said lightly as though her voice would break, "He is."

"Oh believe me, he is." The new owner said. "He is madly in love with you. I take it that was your goal."

Not paying any more attention as to what the owner was stating, she mouthed to herself, "It worked. It finally worked." And then, in her mind; _he's mine. He's finally all mine. And I'm his as well. And we can be together forever, as lovers._

"Besides that," the man continued. "How does two new identities for you and your lover, along with free housing and food on an island sound to you?"

Azula smiled. "Terrific. How does owner and chief of staff of Republic City Asylum sound to you?"

"Amazing. I'm surprise you were even able to pull it off. How did Zuko not read what he was writing?"

"Oh believe me," Azula conjectured. "He was so caught up in the insanity of the situation I highly doubt he would've read anything I asked him to sign." Then, she smiled. "And because of this, you are now the owner of Republic City Asylum."

"Wonderful." The man breathed.

Another bout of silence struck them.

"Were you able to find a replacement girl in time?" Azula asked.

"It was no sweat. She's so insane she actually was on board for the idea. Best part is, your face is so swelled up right now, Zuko and the gang won't be able to realize that they hung the wrong girl before it's too late, and your off on an island kicking it with Mailto, stirring up trouble whenever you two feel like it just because it pleases you both. Your plan has succeeded. Congratulations Azula."

The man held out his hand, waiting for it to be shaken.

Azula shook his hand, and stared him dead in the eyes, and smiled.

"Pleasure doing business with you…Jet."

* * *

**For those of you confused with the ending, Check out chapter 15 and read it over and over again. You'll get it. Thank you for the kindness, love, and support throughout all 17 chapters. This has been a blast and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've had. Please check out all my other stories and review them as well. **

**With many regards,**

**Welcometofightclub.**

**THE END! **


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